Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders (3 credit hours)

Program Summary:  Telehealth modalities have been shown to increase access to treatment and improve health outcomes for individuals with severe mental illness and substance use disorder.  This course examines how telehealth modalities can effectively treat individuals with SMI and SUD.  Examples of evidence-based telehealth treatment interventions include Behavioral Activation Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Medication-Assisted Treatment.  Implementation strategies and considerations are explored.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.

“Book  Open the Course Reading Here.

Reading: Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

Publisher:  SAMHSA

Course Objectives:  To enhance professional practice, values, skills and knowledge by exploring telehealth for the treatment of serious mental illness and substance use disorders.

Learning Objectives:  Describe benefits and challenges of telehealth practices.  Give an example of a telehealth intervention that improves health outcomes for people with SMI.  Describe strategies for implementing telehealth practices.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

Course Available Until: June 30, 2026.

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1: Chapter 1: Telehealth is
 
 
2: Which of the following describes synchronous telehealth?
 
 
3: Implementation of telehealth methods should be reserved for emergencies or to serve as a bridge between providers and rural or underserved areas.
 
 
4: Approximately ________ percent of rural areas in the US are classified as medically underserved and in health professional shortage areas.
 
 
 
 
5: Compared to the general population, people experiencing poverty report lower rates of
 
 
 
 
6: Chapter 2: Screening and assessment for SMI and SUD can be effectively conducted using synchronous and asynchronous telehealth modalities.
 
 
7: Prescribing and monitoring medication using telehealth can lead to all of the following except:
 
 
 
 
8: Which of the following is an example of medication management via telehealth?
 
 
 
 
 
9: Which intervention showed strong evidence as a treatment component based on changing behavior to change one's mood?
 
 
 
 
10: Which intervention showed strong evidence as a trauma-focused cognitive therapy aimed at reducing symptoms of PTSD?
 
 
 
 
11: Telehealth modalities can increase the availability of needed crisis services, ensuring these services are available
 
 
 
 
12: Telehealth modalities provide an effective alternative to in-person suicide screening and assessment.
 
 
13: Chapter 3: People who don't use the Internet tend to
 
 
 
 
 
14: Clients who do not have smartphones, tablets, or computers have reported __________ satisfaction using the telephone for psychotherapy.
 
 
15: Telehealth modalities are appropriate for all clients at all points of their treatment plans.
 
 
16: Which of the following is a strategy to assess organizational needs and readiness for telehealth?
 
 
 
17: Which of the following is a strategy for ensuring security and confidentiality with telehealth?
 
 
 
18: Before initiating a telehealth program, practitioners should consider regulatory issues, including
 
 
 
 
19: Chapter 4: ________ are the least expensive and most accessible form of communication for populations experiencing SMI and SUD, especially Black, Indigenous, and people of color and low-income populations.
 
 
 
20: The Eastern Shore Mobile Care Collaborative at Caroline County Health Department is a Mobile Treatment Unit providing medication-based treatment for individuals with opioid use disorders (OUD) in underserved rural communities through _______________ services.
 
 
 
21: At the beginning of the pandemic, the Citywide Case Management Program conducted a survey of clients about their technology use and found that about ____________ of their 1,500 clients owned a cellphone.
 
 
 
 
22: Lessons learned from Citywide: Prioritizing technology access and literacy improves
 
 
 
 
23: Chapter 5: Researchers conduct __________ evaluation before a treatment is implemented to determine its feasibility.
 
 
 
 
24: Any non-numeric, text-based information, such as verbal, visual, or written data best describes
 
 
25: Which of the following best describes Continuous Quality Improvement?
 
 

In order to purchase or take this course, you will need to log in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for a free account.

After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders, Course #4592, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Free State Social Work, LLC as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: 12/08/2022 - 12/08/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 3 Clinical continuing education credits.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City. She has practiced for many years in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.

Course Available Until: June 30, 2026.
Filed under: Clinical, Technology