Using Video-based Telehealth to Supplement or Expand A Rural Mental Health Practice
Jonathan Neufeld, PhD, HSPP

Common outpatient mental health services that primarily involve conversations as the medium of treatment are almost ideally suited to being provided using modern telecommunications technologies. Researchers and clinicians have been using and studying the use of such technologies in the provision of mental health services for many years. This presentation will review current research on the use of live interactive video to provide individual outpatient mental health services in rural areas. It will provide an overview of the legal, ethical, financial, technical, and clinical issues associated with operating a rural tele-behavioral health practice. Examples from clinical experience and current best practices will be used to supplement applicable scientific research.

Learning Objective 1:
Describe the legal and regulatory framework surrounding the practice of telebehavioral health.
Learning Objective 2:
Prepare effectively for practicing remotely, including developing policies, screening methods, and auxiliary local support resources in rural areas.
Learning Objective 3:
Engage as effectively as possible with clients and others in rural areas using the medium of live videoconferencing.

Intermediate level

BIO
Jonathan Neufeld, PhD, HSPP, received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Ohio University.  He is currently the Director of the Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center (gpTRAC), a federally funded technical assistance program housed at the University of Minnesota.  The Center provides telehealth training and consultation to healthcare providers and programs interested in implementing, evaluating, and enhancing all types of telehealth services in the Great Plains region.  Dr. Neufeld was formerly the Vice President of Information Technology and Integrated Care at Oaklawn Psychiatric Center in Goshen, Indiana.  In this role, he oversaw the IT programs and services at Oaklawn as well as leading a team of clinicians providing mental and behavioral health services in primary care settings across Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, which are relatively rural.  Oaklawn has been using telehealth technology since 2011, and is actively developing a virtual integrated behavioral telehealth service.