Dr. Rosanne Nunnery and Dr. Lisa McKenna recently co-edited the book Telemental Health: What Every Student Needs to Know, which features several Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology professors.
Published by Cognella, book includes chapters written by Fred Dombrowski and Kelly James. Several other Yorkville professors – including Alice Crawford, Matthew Glowiak, Maranda Griffin, David Hart, Erin Pannell, Melissa Lee Tammeus, and Cheryl Welch – also contributed their experiences in telemental health.
Targeted to graduate students in the helping fields and any professional counselor/therapist new to telemental health, the 290-page book equips future counselors with the tools, skillsets, and knowledge required to effectively serve clients across different modalities.
“Our hope is that students and professionals will benefit from the book’s approachable tone to providing both an understanding of the history of telemental health, along with current practices and application resources to expand their skillset and extend their reach within communities,” said McKenna.
To those ends, the opening chapters address the history of telemental health, opportunities and challenges associated with practice, ethical decision-making, and technical and practical considerations with emphasis on creating a telemental health space that is professional and confidential. Readers also learn about the importance of integrating assessment within the telemental health setting and are provided with strategies for initial screenings for appropriate fit for telemental health, biopsychosocial assessments, and crisis and suicide assessments with a focus on how to navigate these digitally.
Additional chapters explore clinical skills, relationship-building, documentation, billing, and recordkeeping. Readers learn about working with specialized populations, including young children, adolescent and older adult populations, couples, families, groups, LGBTQ+ populations, individuals in recovery, and individuals with intellectual disabilities and chronic pain. The closing chapter discusses the importance of self-care for telemental health practitioners.
Drs. Nunnery and McKenna have received interest from universities considering adoption of Telemental Health: What Every Student Needs to Know for elective courses focusing on telemental health and as a supplemental resource for skills and fieldwork courses.
