Benchmark Literature Review
As a counselor, you will be making decisions on how to select evidence-based treatments. For this assignment you will be conducting a brief literature review about the use of telehealth in counseling. For this assignment you can focus on any aspect of telehealth in counseling (examples: the use of telehealth in treating depression, use of telehealth with children). In your literature review you will use three different research articles on telehealth. You must use both qualitative and quantitative research articles. You can use any of the telehealth articles already used in class. Write a 1,000-1,250-word literature review that discusses your chosen healthcare topic.
Include the following in your literature review:
- A discussion about how qualitative and quantitative research reports inform professional counseling practice.
- A discussion about the key characteristics of effective writing and publication in counseling and psychological research. How do these characteristics help to inform professional counseling practice?
- Include a minimum of three scholarly resources in addition to the course textbook.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
Benchmark Literature Review: The Use of Telehealth in Treating Mental Illnesses – Depression
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Professional counseling practice requires the use of evidence-based strategies to determine the most effective interventions. Quantitative and qualitative research reports provide counselors with information on current treatment methods, including their strengths and limitations. These reports also facilitate better understanding of human behavior and thought processes which influence the effectiveness of counseling interventions. Qualitative research facilitate access to subjective opinions on significant counseling topics while quantitative research reports provide statistical evidence that can be used to disprove or prove theories or concepts. The main characteristics of effective writing and publication of psychological and counseling research include conveying accurate information, academic language, and the use of appropriate research report structure which comprises of abstract, introduction, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion. The writing should not be overly-complicated to facilitate easy understanding and application of the information being conveyed (Garland & Brookman-Frazee, 2015).
Telehealth refers to the provision of mental and physical healthcare using telecommunications technologies that support virtual visits and remote patient monitoring. Telehealth services became more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic when quarantine and social distancing prevented people from visiting healthcare institutions (Bulkes et al., 2022). Since then, many studies on the efficacy of using telehealth services in provision of mental health services have been published. This essay will describe a review of literature on the use of telehealth in mental health treatment. The review will consist of both qualitative and quantitative research articles.
Literature Review
Telehealth services can be used to provide counseling services that are just as effective as in-person visits. Bulkes et al. (2022) compared the efficacy of in-person and telehealth visits for adults seeking intensive mental health treatment. The study compared a sample of patients in a behavioral health system who received intensive mental health treatment in-person before the pandemic to patients provided with telehealth services during the pandemic. The main outcomes measured include depressive symptoms and quality of life. The findings indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the outcomes of the patients treated in-person and those who used telehealth visits. Both groups demonstrated significant reduction in depressive symptoms and improved quality of life. Before COVID-19, telehealth services were available but were provided only when needed. Based on the findings obtained by Bulkes et al. (2022), telehealth is a viable alternative from providing mental health services among patients. The main strength of the study is that Bulkes et al. (2022), used a large sample of 2,384 participants hence the findings are generalizable. Ainslie et al. (2022) obtained similar findings in a study that examined telehealth utilization among patients with serious mental illness. Using a retrospective longitudinal study design, Ainslie et al. (2022) examined Medicaid beneficiaries who used telemedicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings illustrated that although patients with milder diagnoses such as anxiety disorders were most likely to experience treatment disruptions, telehealth provided an opportunity for care continuity and patients with serious mental illnesses such as major depressive disorder benefited from it.
Apart from improved mental health outcomes, there are many other benefits that patients enjoy when using telehealth services. Bleyel et al. (2020) examined patients’ perspectives on the use of video consultations for mental health services using a qualitative research approach. Mental illnesses such as depression are prevalent in all parts of the world and lead to reduced quality of life and increased risk of disability for many patients. However, there is limited availability of psychosocial services hence technology-based models of care have become more prevalent to improve access to mental health services. Bleyel et al. (2020) collected data using semi-structured telephone interviews administered to 13 patients who consented to the study. The findings illustrated that the main benefits of telehealth services for mental healthcare are improved accessibility to mental health practitioners, reduced waiting times, and shorter traveling distance. The findings also illustrated that patients value telehealth because they can get immediate help when they need it regardless of their geographical location. Patients with mild mental health issues, no experience with mental healthcare, or those who are unwilling to engage in face-to-face experiences with mental health professionals also benefit from telehealth services. Bleyel et al. (2020) also determined that the main barriers associated with video consultations include technical challenges and lack of face-to-face interaction. Technical challenges such as unstable internet connection are common in rural areas. Some patients also mentioned mental health stigma as one of the barriers to the use of telehealth services.
When providing telehealth services, mental health practitioners utilize various approaches hence it is important to assess the most effective approaches. Bunnell et al. (2021) studied approaches used by providers who primarily offer telehealth services for mentally ill patients. The data was mainly collected using a survey administered to 276 mental health providers. The survey findings indicated that most of the providers offer mental health services to patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and stressor-related illnesses. The providers identified the importance of using evidence-based practice. The main therapy format utilized among the participants is individual therapy. More than 80 percent of the participants endorsed the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in telehealth practice. Common exercises used during individual therapy include mindfulness, relaxation, coping and emotional regulation, and modification of core beliefs. Providers who reported using CBT in their telehealth sessions also collected more clinical information from patients in comparison to those who did not use CBT. The main methods of collecting clinical information during telehealth sessions included verbal interviews and electronic and paper surveys. Technological advancements have also made it possible for mental health professionals to easily process clinical data and use it to make more accurate diagnoses.
Conclusion
The literature review gathered information from both qualitative and quantitative research studies and provided a comprehensive review of the use of telehealth in provision of counseling services for patients with disorders such as depression. All the articles met the criteria for effective writing and publication in research including use of an appropriate report structure and academic language. The review indicated that telehealth services improve access to mental health professionals and also reduce waiting times and the need to travel to a healthcare institution. Providers also use approaches such as CBT when providing telehealth services. Moreover, telehealth services are effective for treatment of patients with disorders such as depression and patients can easily access their providers regardless of distance. However, the main limitations of telehealth include the use of technical difficulties such as poor internet connection and lack of face-to-face interactions. The main implications for the counseling profession include the need to optimize ways in which providers engage patients in telehealth sessions in order to improve the quality of care offered.
References
Ainslie, M., Brunette, M., & Capozzoli, M. (2022). Treatment Interruptions and Telemedicine Utilization in Serious Mental Illness: Retrospective Longitudinal Claims Analysis. JMIR Mental Health, 9(3), e33092. https://doi.org/10.2196/33092
Bleyel, C., Hoffmann, M., Wensing, M., Hartmann, M., Friederich, H., & Haun, M. (2020). Patients’ Perspective on Mental Health Specialist Video Consultations in Primary Care: Qualitative Preimplementation Study of Anticipated Benefits and Barriers. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(4), e17330. https://doi.org/10.2196/17330
Bulkes, N., Davis, K., Kay, B., & Riemann, B. (2022). Comparing efficacy of telehealth to in-person mental health care in intensive-treatment-seeking adults. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, 347-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.11.003
Bunnell, B., Kazantzis, N., Paige, S., Barrera, J., Thakkar, R., Turner, D., & Welch, B. (2021). Provision of Care by “Real World” Telemental Health Providers. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.653652
Garland, A., & Brookman-Frazee, L. (2015). Therapists and researchers: Advancing collaboration. Psychotherapy Research, 25(1), 95-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2013.838655