Telehealth and Social Services

Ever since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic and a complete lockdown was enforced, it became very difficult for patients to get the treatments they needed. This caused most agencies to take the decision of using telehealth services as a way of interacting with families. However, there is still a lack of information around the subject, and people lack the expertise for it as well. This is especially true for the mental health technicians who have little experience in the use of the platforms designed for telehealth services. At the same time, there are also problems which clients and families aren't fully aware of with these services, while some clients may not have the computers or digital platforms required to receive these services. This is why it is important for people, especially healthcare providers, to be aware of these services and learn how to make it more accessible to everyone. There is a lack of preparation by the agencies in order to help technicians with a reliable system; especially when it comes to the conflicts about what is the right course of action for a session and what is not. These issues still persist, and the agencies and mental health service systems haven't take adequate steps in order to resolve them. Hence, the author decided to write a book in order to help healthcare providers at an individual level, so they can understand how they can extend their services through this platform and help more people during this pandemic and even after things are more normal. In this book, we will take you on a step by step journey on how a social worker can become a telehealth provider by utilizing the means that are already available to them. We'll tell you everything you need to know about the procedures, policies, platforms and best practices of these services. We'll also discuss what major platforms provide this service, and what will be the best one suited for your needs. At the same time, we'll also discuss the issues that may arise while highliting the mistakes you need to avoid. Overall, we have tried to make this eBook as comprehensive as possible, detailing all the information that you will need in order to begin and continue this practice.