A study, led by the researchers of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), has found that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted a remarkable number of psychologists to shift to delivering mental health care to patients remotely in the United States.
The study, titled “The COVID-19 Telepsychology Revolution: A National Study of Pandemic-Based Changes in U.S. Mental Health Care Delivery,” was published in the journal American Psychologist.
It included a survey of more than 2,600 licensed psychologists across the nation. The investigators found that the amount of clinical work performed through telepsychology had increased 12-fold since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Before the pandemic, psychologists reported performing just over 7% of their clinical work with telepsychology. However, during the pandemic, that number has increased to more than 85%.
The study also found that more than 67% of psychologists reported performing all of their clinical work with telepsychology.
Lead author Brad Pierce of VCU said, “I was shocked to see how quickly telepsychology was adopted. The shift from 7% of clinical work to more than 85% represents a lot of heavy lifting in a very short time.”
“There was a concerted effort among the community to identify and remove long-standing barriers,” he added. “Psychologists sought out additional training, equipment was purchased, and policies were adjusted at every level to facilitate telehealth and telepsychology.”
Peirce continued, “I was proud of the mental health care community’s response to COVID-19 when the need for physical distancing became apparent. People still need psychological services, and the community rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Our team recognized a revolution was taking place and we wanted to gain insight about these changes as they were occurring.”
The researchers also found that many psychologists anticipate they will be continuing to treat patients remotely even after the pandemic ends.
Co-author Grace McKee said, “I’m hopeful that these trends show that psychology as a field is able to adapt to the needs of both providers and patients.”
“Of course the initial wave of telepsychology during the pandemic has been out of necessity, but our findings suggest to me that there are benefits to continuing offering it in the future even when it is safe to attend in person,” she added.
McKee explained that telepsychology can be more convenient for both psychologists and patients, particularly for those who may face difficulties attending in person.
“I think the flexibility to offer both in-person and telepsychology services is critical in being able to meet patients’ needs and making psychological services more accessible,” she said.
Another author Paul Perrin said the study documents a “literal revolution in mental health care delivery taking place before our eyes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He said, “No other event in modern history has altered to this extent the landscape of psychological service provision. Many of the barriers to telepsychology use that have been touted for years have now been dramatically lessened or even fully removed, and we are seeing an unprecedented rollout of technology-based mental health treatment.”
“The field of psychology has put forth a substantial effort to adapt to the demands of the pandemic and unmet mental health needs that are being uncovered across the U.S,” he added.
Perrin continued, “I believe that much more needs to be done in terms of bringing evidence-based practice to populations often marginalized in traditional mental health care.” “The practice of telepsychology assumes a lot of things like patient access to technology, internet or telephone, and even to payment options for telepsychology. Despite the potential of telepsychology to rise to some of the mental health needs laid bare during the pandemic, there are still many limitations and barriers to its use that need to be worked out.”
