1st Edition
Using Technology to Support Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Practices A Clinician's Guide
The use of technology to provide cost-effective behavioral healthcare is emerging as a crucial aspect of treating a wide variety of behavioral health problems. However, many behavioral health providers lack the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively integrate technology-based behavioral tools into their practice. In Using Technology to Support Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Practices, the authors help providers implement technology-based behavioral health practices in various healthcare settings and with various mental health disorders. Divided into two parts, the text first addresses specific disorders or problem areas, then presents issues concerning implementation and evaluating such tools in clinical practice and important ethical issues to consider when doing so.
Part I is titled Important Issues in Implementation, and presents the first six chapters of this volume. The first chapter will be written by the first author of the book and will discuss important issues concerning the implementation of technology-based behavioral health practices in various healthcare settings. This chapter will provide tools for assessing an organizations readiness for change which is an often overlooked important step in the implementation process. For example, it is extremely important to assess an organizations current work culture, values, and infrastructure before proceeding to implementation, as an implementation effort in an unprepared organization often leads to failure. The second chapter will outline the advantages and disadvantages of implementing technology in behavioral health settings. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in behavioral health is important to optimize the effectiveness, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health services, as well as the cost effectiveness of treatment. The third chapter will provide the reader with an in-depth look into issues surrounding the sustained adoption of technology-based behavioral health tools. Specifically, this chapter will define the concept of sustained adoption, discuss issues important to promoting the sustained adoption of behavioral health tools, and provide the reader with specific recommendations for enhancing the sustained adoption of behavioral health tools in a wide variety of healthcare settings. Chapter four outlines the ethical issues involved in the delivery of technology-based behavioral healthcare tools. Some of these include issues concerning informed consent when using web-based assessment and treatment tools, how to appropriately address and manage patients who report severe symptom presentations (e.g., suicidality, severe depression, etc.). Chapter five will highlight important cultural issues in the use of technology in behavioral healthcare and provide recommendations for how providers might best address these issues in their practice setting. Chapter six will put the use of technology-based behavioral tools into a historical context, provide the reader with an overview of present trends in the use of technology, and discuss the future use of technology in mental health. Part II is titled, Technology and Behavioral Disorders, and presents chapters seven through twelve. This section of the book will contain chapters that discuss how to use technology to deliver evidence-based practices in psychology for treating anxiety, mood, eating, psychotic, and substance use disorders. For example chapter seven delves into the spectrum of anxiety disorders; from phobias such as fear of flying, to potentially debilitating conditions such as panic disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. This chapter will also present current technology-based applications that are useful for delivering EBP such as CBT and Exposure therapy for treating anxiety disorders and will provide the reader with specific resources and recommendations for implementing these tools in their practice. Chapters eight to eleven will address mood, eating, psychotic, and substance use disorders respectively and will be similarly structured as chapter seven. Part III, is titled, Technology and Physical Problems, and presents the remaining three chapters (chapters twelve through fifteen). These chapters will cover common, high cost physical problems (i.e., diabetes, obesity, dementia, and pain) associated with psychological problems, present technology-based tools for disease management and addressing common comorbid psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. And most importantly, provide resources and recommendations for optimizing the implementation of such tools in clinical practice.
Biography
Michael A. Cucciare, Kenneth R. Weingardt
"This book is a clinician's guide, where the reader can get an insight into the current mental health research debate on using technology in evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based health practices within the USA. This is the first comprehensive book I have found on this research area and I found it interesting to read." - Judith Thoburn-Price, MBACP MA, director of Spottyfish LTD and Robbers Dog Animation, counselor in independent practice
