ABSTRACT
Presents findings from two focus groups conducted with psychology trainees and new clinicians providing telemental health services during the pandemic. Participants were eligible if they were a United States resident over the age of 18, had experience delivering virtual therapy, and had a strong internet connection. Focus groups included nine clinicians who had delivered telemental health therapy during the 2020-2021 year. Clinicians participated in one of two 1-hour focus groups conducted virtually via a HIPAA-compliant Zoom platform. Telemental health appears to be a fixed entity in the future of mental healthcare, and targeted training of future clinicians is needed. Nine clinicians early in their training shared their experiences during the transition to telemental health at the start of the pandemic. Results of the current study can be utilized to inform better therapeutic experiences for both clinicians and clients. The themes reveal both useful aspects and barriers associated with telemental health and identify matters of telemental health that require further attention and improvement. The discussion aims to link the identified themes with possible solutions for clinicians moving forward. Clinician and client themes are discussed together when they are related. Given that telemental health is here to stay, it is important that professional psychology training programs begin incorporating the methods suggested in this article into their training curriculum. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)