Interface Consultation Services, PLLC

The demand of psychotherapy often exceeds the availability of therapists. Two studies published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics review how modern computer and communication technologies can provide novel opportunities for the provision of stepped care for patients with mental disorders. In a a review and an accompanying editorial by Prof. Isaac Marks and collaborators point out that therapist time is not saved by conducting cognitive behavior therapies (CBT) via e-mail, telephone or video-conference exchanges between patient and therapist in real time. However, time can be saved when treatment tasks are delegated to patient-computer interactions. Many patients may also prefer to access CBT at home by computer for reasons of greater confidentiality, lessening of stigma and reduction of time needed to travel to a therapist. This concept was explored by Indra Tumur and colleges in a analysis of 4 studies to compare the effectiveness of a computerized cognitive behavior th

Psychiatric Times July 01, 2007 Vol. 24 No. 8 by Arline Kaplin Figures from the US Department of Justice indicate that more than half of prison and jail inmates have a mental health problem. Mental health courts (MHCs) were designed to divert mentally ill persons convicted of nonviolent crimes to supervised treatment instead of incarceration, but while the number of MHCs has grown substantially over the past decade, limited information has been available about outcomes and costs. Now a study from the RAND Corporation has demonstrated that an MHC in Pennsylvania was successful in increasing mental health services and reducing jail time for participants while reducing costs to taxpayers.1 The study, sponsored by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, was the first to evaluate the fiscal impact of an MHC anywhere in the United States, according to economist John Engberg, PhD, one of the authors. It found that the court saved taxpayers $3.5 million over a 2-year period, Engberg t