Recommendations for Policy and Practice of Telepsychotherapy and E-Mental Health in Europe and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a great need for the use of telepsychotherapy and other interventions using psychological theories and techniques to support both mental and physical health. E-mental health presents a wide range of opportunities in mental health care to overcome barriers for receiving conventional psychological care, especially when psychotherapists and clients find themselves in (self)quarantine resulting from a pandemic. For many psychotherapists and clients, the current situation provides a first experience with e-mental health and reliance on telepsychotherapy or other means of technology to provide or receive care, respectively. Psychotherapeutic circumstances may often be suboptimal, with psychotherapists and clients experiencing difficulties finding a private space or sufficient time for an undisturbed consultation. This article aims to highlight recommendations on how to create the best possible context in which e-mental health supplements and enhances current services for clients. These recommendations are grouped according to 3 categories of key stakeholders: psychotherapists, health services and regulatory agencies, and developers. This article focuses on (a) how to make optimal use of technology in psychotherapeutic practice; (b) how to integrate e-mental health into the health care system to allow for a safe, transparent, and effective environment for (self) care; and (c) how to develop e-mental health applications. Recomendaciones para pólizas y prácticas de telepsicoterapia y e-mental health en Europa y más allá La pandemia de COVID-19 ha traído consigo una gran necesidad de utilizar telepsicoterapia y otras intervenciones utilizando teorías y técnicas psicológicas para apoyar la salud mental y física. E-mental health presenta una amplia gama de oportunidades en el cuidado de la salud mental para superar las barreras para recibir cuidado psicológico convencional, especialmente cuando psicoterapeutas y clientes se encuentran en cuarentena (propia) resultante de una pandemia. Para muchos psicoterapeutas y clientes, la a situación actual proporciona una primera experiencia con la salud mental electrónica y la confianza en telepsicoterapia u otros medios tecnológicos para proporcionar o recibir cuidado respectivamente. Las circunstancias psicoterapéuticas a menudo pueden ser subóptimas, con psicoterapeutas y clientes que experimentan dificultades para encontrar un espacio privado o tiempo suficiente para una consulta si