Mental Health Professionals’ Experience of Providing Tele-mental Health to Children and Adolescents during The COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of child and adolescent mental health professionals who transitioned to telemental health services during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the framework of qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight licensed child/adolescent mental health professionals who transitioned to telemental health for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive phenomenological analysis revealed five major themes describing the experiences of the participants. These themes include the impact of providing telemental health on well-being of mental health professionals, challenges associated with transitioning to telemental health, challenges of providing mental health services to children and adolescents online, coping and adaptation to telemental health, and the benefits of telemental health to clients and mental health professionals during the pandemic. The findings highlight the need for mental health organizations and policymakers to create supportive environments and provide resources to support the well-being of mental health professionals during periods of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and identified several key factors that can help clinicians transition to telemental health. Limitations of the study include a small sample size, potential for self-selection bias, and the potential for researcher bias