Providing Clinical Psychology Training and Trauma-Focused Treatment via Telehealth During COVID-19

Abstract

To slow the spread of COVID-19 many mental health providers transitioned to telehealth delivery of trauma-focused treatment for maltreated children. However, these providers faced myriad challenges, including equitable access to equipment and technical demands of telehealth software. Training clinics overseeing pre-doctoral clinical psychology interns experienced the added challenge of providing quality supervision and training via telehealth. This study involves a retrospective application of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework to describe the innovative adaptation to a telehealth service delivery model in a training clinic providing evidence-based trauma-focused treatment to children and their families. Mixed methods data from clinic records and intern evaluations indicate that compared to pre-COVID (February 2019 – February 2020), during early COVID (April 2020 – April 2021) more patients accessed clinic services, interns reported fewer hours of individual supervision, and interns reported greater satisfaction with their training experiences. Implications for ongoing provision of telehealth services are discussed.