Background:
My essay is about the impact that COVID-19 has had on mental health professionals (as well as their patients), the use of tele-health/tele-communication within counseling/clinical occupations, the possible future outcomes of mental health care due to the use of tele-health, and the possibilities for newfound treatments that utilize current technology. I wrote this essay for my INTERLS215 course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The prompt: Imagine you have secured your first full-time professional job after college, in your chosen career community. At 5pm on Friday afternoon, your supervisor forwards you a recent news article about how some new technology is affecting your field, with the note "Need your reactions for Monday's staff meeting!"
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health professionals have had to switch their usual in-person interactions to online using tele-health which is remote healthcare that utilizes tele-communication technology. Tele-health offers a newfound way to provide mental health services and has potentially changed the future of psycho-treatment. The new use of tele-health services within the mental health field has improved patient-therapist relationships by providing intimate insight into their lives and provided better access to mental health services through easy-to-access tele-communication programs. With the transition of mental health services to a virtual format, it is important to acknowledge the potential for growth created by technology related to mental health services and treatment methods. The use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted mental health services into a positive reform by increasing public access to mental health services, improving patient-clinician relationships, and forcing professionals to revise current mental health treatment methods to make them more effective.
Challenges created by COVID-19 pandemic caused mental health professionals to find new strategies to modify their professions to provide tele-health and other virtual programs to adapt to this transition that could potentially change the future of mental health services and public access. Bellafante (2021) said her psychotherapy experience before the pandemic made her feel “nullified by the stress of getting to appointments that only complicated the hours that followed”. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced professionals to find new ways to provide mental health services virtually. Online platforms, such as Zoom and Skype are being used to provide tele-health to those in need. Therapists and patients are experiencing unexpected advantages which previously were not thought to be possible (Bellafante, 2021). The newfound choice for patients and professionals alike: the option for in-person or online mental health services. Additionally, tele-health has created better access for those in need of mental health services; Bellafante (2021) reported that a survey conducted during COVID-19 by the American Psychological Association found 44 percent of practitioners reporting “fewer cancellations and instances of patients simply failing to come without calling” which she attributes to logistical barriers for attendance (transportation, bad weather, etc.) being removed due to the online format. Nowadays, people can avoid barriers that previously prevented them from getting mental health care as they can now receive treatment from the comfort of their own home.
The collective trauma the world has experienced due to COVID-19 has brought patients and mental health professionals closer together via tele-communication services which has helped them build better and more intimate relationships with their patients. Garfin (2020) explained that collective trauma impacts everyone and can lead to psychological effects regardless of if someone had direct or indirect exposure. Just like their patients, mental health professionals have experienced detrimental effects on their careers and emotional well-being due to the pandemic, however, some professionals have found comfort by meeting with their patients. Maslin Nir (2020) mentions Melissa Nesle, a psychotherapist who revealed, “‘Never have I ever gone through a trauma at the same time as my clients’” and Lucy Hutner’s resilience throughout the pandemic fueled by her patients’ perseverance with their debilitating mental illnesses. In addition, professionals are now able to see their patients in their natural environments, something professionals were not able to do before the rise of virtual tele-health communication. Bellafante (2021) references Catherine Monk, a professor of medical psychology at Columbia, mentioning the “homey” experience tele-health brings to provide more special moments during her sessions and help her connect with her patients. Due to the pandemic, Hutner's and Monk’s transition to virtual sessions has helped them develop new perspectives on their treatment as well as the ability to utilize technology in a positive way within the relationships with their patients.
Mental health professionals have adopted tele-health to cope with the challenges of COVID-19 which has inspired positive reform within the mental health field by presenting new challenges that professionals must overcome to provide high-quality care to their patients. Lack of tele-health pre-COVID-19 has created problems with implementation as usability becomes a major concern. According to Samsom-Daly & Bradford (2020), professionals are questioning if they’ll be able to navigate and utilize the virtual programs in effective ways. Professionals are concerned about technology's ability to transmit the aspect of "human-ness" needed for effective interactions within psychosocial clinical care (Sansom-Daly & Bradford, 2020). This leads to professionals having to find ways to capture aspects of in-person interactions virtually to support the needs of their patients. Glenn Waller and other mental health professionals have offered further insight on the implementation of digital healthcare into the field and additional ways professionals need to adapt to provide effective care. Due to COVID-19, professionals have determined training related to tele-health and modifying treatment into virtual formats must occur to become more effective and digital mental health interventions should become a part of routine care (Taylor, Fitzsimmons-Craft, and Graham, 2020). “Digital technologies can also be harnessed to simultaneously provide preventive, well-being, self-management, and clinical interventions to populations at scale, to implement stepped-care models, and to provide paraprofessional or even automated support via technology” (Taylor et al., 2020). COVID-19 has elucidated the opportunities technology has created for mental health services which have the will forever change the way mental health professionals execute their treatments by creating reforms in training, care-models, and performance within the field.
The Metaverse, an immersive virtual world, has the potential to create positive outcomes such as increased social connection/support; however, we must also consider the negative consequences of utilizing technology. In Morenne’s (2022) article, Candice Odgers, a professor of psychological sciences, states while VR-technology (virtual reality technology) is not harmful itself, it can create anxiety and conflict within families and people’s perceptions. Metaverse needs to be mindful of these dangerous outcomes and create regulations to navigate these potential downsides. Granted that VR-technology may negatively impact relationships and one’s mental health, VR-technology also can bring additional developments to the mental health field. Peter Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication, said “‘Something that I think often gets lost in the narrative around screens and digital technology is that they can be a tremendous force for good in terms of keeping us connected’” (Morenne, 2022). Similarly to tele-health, VR-technology has helped people stay connected during the COVID-19. In addition, VR-technology can also generate new methods of treatment as it is currently being used to treat people with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). A study done by the Virtual Reality Research Center at the University of Washington found that after six VR sessions, patients with PTSD experienced a 90 percent decrease in their symptoms (Blum, 2021). Overall, VR-technology has positively influenced mental health by helping people maintain and create new relationships and has revealed the potential to create new treatment methods within the mental health field.
The use of tele-health and other virtual treatment methods within the mental health field during the COVID-19 pandemic has altered how professionals provide treatment as the widespread use of tele-health methods has allowed patients better options to choose between in-person and virtual appointments, increasing access to mental health services, and nurturing patient-clinician relationships. The collective trauma of the pandemic has overwhelmed patients as well as professionals; nevertheless, technology has provided better solutions for professionals and patients. Virtual tele-health has presented new challenges regarding the future of the mental health field and their professionals; however, these barriers have inspired reform in professional training and modifying care-models to be effective in a virtual format. Additionally, VR-technology (such as the Metaverse) may be an opportunity to further enhance the effectiveness of care in the mental health field and create new methods for mental health treatment.
References
Bellafante, G. (2021, May 23). Covid may have shifted psychotherapy into a new groove: [metropolitan desk]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Blum, D. (2021, June 03). Virtual reality therapy plunges patients back into trauma. Here is why some swear by it. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Maslin, N. S. (2020, May 03). Therapists and patients find common ground: Virus-fueled anxiety [with graphic(s)]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Morenne, B. (2022, Jan. 9). The Metaverse's effects on mental health: trivial or troubling? Silicon Valley wants to create an immersive virtual world. Is that good or bad news for our well-being? The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/
Sansom, D. U. M., Bradford, N., & Sansom-Daly, U. M. (2020). Grappling with the “human” problem hiding behind the technology: Telehealth during and beyond COVID-19. Psycho-Oncology, 29(9), 1404–1408. doi: 10.1002/pon.5462
Taylor, C. B., Fitzsimmons, C. E. E., & Graham, A. K. (2020). Digital technology can revolutionize mental health services delivery: The COVID-19 crisis as a catalyst for change. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(7), 1155–1157. doi: 10.1002/eat.23300
Technology as a coping tool during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Implications and recommendations. Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 36(4), 555–559. doi: 10.1002/smi.2975
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