Digital mental health services are online programs, phone services, digital tools or mobile-based applications that may be self-driven or involve interaction with or guidance from a health professional. These services are ideal as standalone treatment interventions for Australians with mild to moderate mental health symptoms or can be used in combination with face-to-face care. When delivered in combination with face-to-face health care, many digital resources offer unique features, allowing clinicians to work collaboratively with their consumers and with other health professionals.

Often therapists, GPs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health care workers might hold concerns that by recommending a digital resource, a client might feel turned away, rejected or that they are impersonal and not working together on defined goals and tasks (Scott et al., 2022). However, research shows that digital mental health interventions are often very well received and can actually improve the therapeutic relationship, giving the client a sense of choice in their own healthcare (Erbe et al., 2017). A minority of consumers, about 10%, actually prefer digital interventions to face-to-face care (Cerga-Pashoja et al., 2020).

Numerous digital mental health interventions also now offer features that support practitioner involvement and collaborative care with other practitioners. Practitioners might have varying roles in a consumer’s mental health journey, from providing information and offering treatment choice, to being a one-on-one therapist involved in long term care. Below is a brief introduction to some free, Australian, evidence-based digital mental health resources, highlighting features that allow health practitioners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers to work collaboratively with their patients or clients and other practitioners and services while using these platforms.

Digital Programs with Practitioner Support

Two Australian, evidence-based programs now offer access to an e-therapist to assist working through treatment modules. Digital mental health interventions with practitioner support can be used to supplement standard mental health care, to provide ongoing support in a therapist’s absence, or for wait list care or relapse prevention. Therapist support programs can be offered to consumers with mild to moderate mental health symptoms alongside crisis support and ongoing monitoring by a health professional as a standalone treatment.

Digital Services with Practitioner Integration

Some digital mental health interventions offer practitioner interfaces, where a clinician has access to their client’s progress through self-guided modules. This enhances collaboration between practitioner and client and also offers information that can be shared across a treating team.

Digital Services with Parent or Caregiver Integration

When working with children or young people, the involvement of a carer or support person can be invaluable for treatment outcomes and can enhance communication with other health professionals working with the family.

Before using a program with a client be sure to inspect it thoroughly to make sure that it is safe and evidence-based. For more information on how to locate relevant, evidence-based, free or low-cost digital services, and learn how to use them in practice, visit www.emhprac.org.au.  

eMHPrac (e-Mental Health in Practice) is a Government-funded service offering training and support in the use of digital mental health interventions to GPs, allied health professionals and service providers working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

To browse a directory of free, evidence-based mental health tools for tools that target your consumers’ needs visit:

eMHPrac Service Directory	WellMob	Head to Health

Author Bio

Shelley Appleton, D.Psych(Clin), Clinical Psychologist, eMHPrac team

Dr Shelley Appleton is a Senior Research Officer with the eMHPrac team and a registered clinical psychologist and clinical supervisor. Shelley is passionate about facilitating access to mental health treatments and promoting mental health literacy in the general population. Shelley has over 10 years of experience with the psychology research group where she has worked to evaluate apps, web programs, and phone interventions addressing mental health and substance use disorders. Shelley also enjoys maintaining her role in private practice with children, adolescents, and adults.

References

Cerga-Pashoja, A., Doukani, A., Gega, L., Walke, J., & Araya, R. (2020). Added value or added burden? A qualitative investigation of blending internet self-help with face-to-face cognitive behaviour therapy for depression. Psychotherapy Research, 1-13, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2020.1720932.

Erbe, D., Psych, D., Eichert, H.C., Riper, H., & Ebert, D.D. (2017). Blending face-to-face and internet-based interventions for the treatment of mental disorders in adults: Systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(9), e306.

Reynolds J, Griffiths KM, Cunningham JA, Bennett K, Bennett A Clinical Practice Models for the Use of E-Mental Health Resources in Primary Health Care by Health Professionals and Peer Workers: A Conceptual Framework JMIR Mental Health 2015;2(1):e6 URL: http://mental.jmir.org/2015/1/e6/ doi:10.2196/mental.4200

Scott, S., Knott, V., Finlay-Jones, A.L. et al. (2022). Australian psychologists experiences with digital mental health: A qualitative investigation. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-022-00271-5