Counseling at the Crossroads: Better Serving Clients with 21st Century Technologies

Filmed at the California Southern University School of Behavioral Sciences. Please visit http://www.calsouthern.edu/psychologyTitle: “Counseling at the Crossroads: Better Serving Clients with 21st Century Technologies”Presented by Dr. Marlene Maheu (http://telehealth.org/marlenemaheu/)Description: Distance counseling is an explosive area, in terms of both growth and controversy. Influences from the Internet, email, web services, smartphones, apps and more sophisticated technological advances are continually surfacing in day-to-day practice. Yet, many responsible professionals are leery of distance counseling because they’ve seen examples of unprofessionalism online.The unprecedented juxtaposition of demand for counselors to have technological expertise to augment counseling services via email, telephone and video on one hand, and to better serve clients by treating a variety of technology-based disorders on the other hand, creates an extraordinary opportunity for counselors. As we re-tool for life in the 21st century, the skills and insights of counselors will increasingly be needed, but distance counseling training is lacking. While much scientific information is available, interested counselors don’t know how to easily access the scientific evidence base. Regulation is slow to adapt.This presentation will outline optimal models for wide-scale adoption of a variety of technologies in evidence-based counseling practice, predict developments we are likely to see in the near future and highlight needed changes to counselor identity.Bio:Trainer, author and researcher Marlene M. Maheu, PhD is the executive director of the TeleMental Health Institute (http://telehealth.org), one of five providers of training for the Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Dr. Maheu’s focus has been on the legal and ethical development and use of technologies to better service behavioral health clients. She has served on numerous professional association committees, task forces and work groups, including the American Counseling Association’s Cyber Counseling Committee.Dr. Maheu has authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles, and is the author of four telehealth textbooks. She has overseen the delivery of professional telemental health training to more than 10,000 professionals in 39 countries.If you would like to receive a certificate of attendance for viewing this lecture, please visit: http://apply.calsouthern.edu/attendance-certificate/