The Effectiveness and Implications of Telehealth for Mental Health Treatment

As technology has evolved, many mental health professionals have begun to adopt the option of a telehealth format for treatment delivery. Particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the remote form of counseling emerged as an alternative to traditional in-person therapy. This thesis will examine existing studies to evaluate the effectiveness of telehealth counseling, potential implications to consider, and the limitations of this treatment modality. Five themes based on the current research will be discussed: (1) the acceptability and efficacy of telehealth services, (2) the transition and adoption of telehealth, (3) the equivalence of treatment modalities, (4) client and provider perceptions of telehealth experiences, (5) limitations and future directions. These themes are consistent throughout the studies on telehealth counseling and give unique insight into the implications of choosing telehealth counseling over traditional in-person treatment.