Curt and Katie chat about the big tech “disruptors” in the mental health space and what therapists can learn from their tactics to support clients. We look at who is using mental health apps, what mental health apps are getting right (and wrong), and how therapists can take what is working and work differently to more effectively serve our own clients. This is a continuing education podcourse.

Looking at the gaps in mental health treatment and how big tech is working to “fix” them

Exploring the goals from the Rand report on fixing mental healthcare in the United States
Mental Health apps (with many broad definitions)
Access to lots of different types of services and self-help
A one stop shop with a full range of services
Direct negotiation with insurance companies

The types of technology used in mental health apps and the risks and benefits of these advances

Algorithms
Geo location data
Complex payment structures
Outcomes and feedback

What mental health apps are doing well for clients

Getting clients into therapy much more quickly
Decreasing costs for consumers
Increasing flexibility and availability
Not requiring for things to happen in real time (asynchronous therapy)

What mental health apps are getting wrong

McDonaldization and commoditization
Proprietary treatment methods and incentives for specific worksheets or staying within the app
Misalignment between the goals of the client and the goals of the corporation
Self-driven, leading to folks to potentially getting insufficient resources
Individual versus community focus
Caseloads and potential for therapist income (as well as burnout and poor care)

Concerns about the additional risks that can happen with mental health apps

The apps are not bound by HIPAA, but instead the SEC
Data sharing and Alexa suggesting supplements to address client mental health concerns
Additional legal and ethical risks

Who is using app-based mental health services?

Therapy veterans are moving to apps
Access is not actually improved
The reasons that clients are moving from a traditional therapist to therapy apps
Outcomes across different types of apps and different types of clients
Niche apps are more effective than generalist apps

What we can do to move our therapist practices forward?

Using the benefits of technology to decrease friction for your clients accessing therapists

Increasing flexibility and creativity
Be a better therapist and understanding the digital therapeutic alliance
Paying attention to laws and ethics, scope of practice, and treatment planning

Receive Continuing Education for this Episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide

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Once you’ve listened to this episode, to get CE credit you just need to go to learn.moderntherapistcommunity.com/pages/podcourse, register for your free profile, purchase this course, pass the post-test, and complete the evaluation! Once that’s all completed - you’ll get a CE certificate in your profile or you can download it for your records. For our current list of CE approvals, check out moderntherapistcommunity.com.

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Continuing Education Approvals:

When we are airing this podcast episode, we have the following CE approval. Please check back as we add other approval bodies: Continuing Education Information