Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 14, Number 5 > Pp. 225-226

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LEADERS Focus

Telehealth: a child and family-friendly approach to mental health-care reform

Patricia Lingley-Pottie ^*   and Patrick J McGrath ^* 

^* IWK Health Centre, Halifax; Departments of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

Correspondence: Patricia Lingley-Pottie, 5850/5980 University Avenue, IWK Health Centre, 8^th Floor, Room K8531, PO Box 9700, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 6R8, Canada (Fax: +1 902 470 7912; Email: patricia.pottie{at}iwk.nshealth.ca)

Limited access to paediatric mental health services and high drop-out rates from treatment result in poor health outcomes for families with children with mental health problems. New ways of delivering care are required. Telehealth is a promising approach. The Family Help programme employs manualized, distance treatment by telephone. Participants in the Family Help programme (both adults and children) have reported a strong therapeutic alliance with their telephone coach. Participants also described how during treatment sessions they felt comfortable and safe in their own home; they did not feel stigmatized or judged; they had little apprehension about self-disclosure and they felt that treatment was delivered at their convenience. Treatment calls were often scheduled after typical working hours. Attrition rates were found to be very low and children actively engaged in the structured, distance treatment. Evidence-based, distance delivery using non-professionals is a promising approach to the delivery of paediatric mental health care.

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