Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

Implementation Tool
June 2021
View resources

Headline

This guide offers resources to improve telehealth interventions for individuals at risk for, experiencing, or recovering from serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance use disorder (SUD).

Context

There are many reasons that individuals with SMI and SUD experience barriers to quality care, including access to appropriate services and providers, stigma, and competing priorities, such as employment and childcare. Telehealth can be used successfully with these patient populations to increase access to care. This guide offers resources to improve telehealth interventions for individuals at risk for, experiencing, or recovering from SMI and/or SUD.

About this Tool

This resource guide includes:

  • An issue brief on the benefits and implementation considerations for telehealth.
  • A summary of the research on the current landscape of telehealth for SMI and SUD, which includes strong evidence for interventions delivered via telehealth.
  • Guidance for implementing evidence-based practices with practical considerations when implementing telehealth, including between client and provider, across the organization, and within the policy and regulatory landscape.
  • Case studies of three organizations offering telehealth services in SMI and SUD treatment programs. The case studies address how telephones are the most accessible type of communication for many people experiencing SMI and SUD; training requirements to use telehealth effectively; client-centered telehealth interventions; and integration of telehealth into treatment.
  • Practical tips for continuous quality improvement when implementing telehealth for SMI and SUD and resources for evaluating telehealth-delivered practices, monitoring outcomes, and improving quality.

Takeaways

Telehealth can offer effective care for SMI and SUD, including screening and assessment; treatments, including pharmacotherapy, medication management, and behavioral therapies; case management; recovery supports; and crisis services.

Posted to The Playbook on