"Remote mental health interventions work – but not as a replacement for face-to-face support"

9th July 2020

Crucial thoughts from Youth Access in light of a recent rapid review - The need for evidence and informed decision making is discussed.
The following excerpts identify the need for appropriate training and why this is important.

"It's crucial that practitioners traditionally trained in face-to-face work are supported to transition to remote working, in particular those who are newly qualified practitioners, were furloughed or have had limited to no experience of providing sessions remotely during lockdown. As we emerge out of crisis response and look to reflection and recovery, we must take the opportunity to ensure those providing remote support are able to take the time to receive training to continue their work safely and accessibly. Such training, at a minimum, should cover consent, risk management and safeguarding, privacy and confidentiality as they relate to remote interventions, as well as ethical and legal considerations required for this work. It should also cover the impact that remote work can have on communication and power dynamics between the young person and practitioner, and how to adapt to these new challenges."

"If not supported correctly, staff can become one of the main barriers to adoption of remote modes of support. Our research has found that staff often felt that remote support was not aligned with their professional values, role and responsibilities, and can require staff to re-think their ways of working and identity. In addition, there is some evidence that staff can remain resistant to providing remote support in services that had adopted it, even when it was working well and was popular amongst young people. In these cases, training around the strengths of remote support, and the experiences of young people may be helpful, as well as training around how to increase engagement among young people. This should also be included in undergraduate and entry-level training for mental health practitioners. "

"There is lots to do, but we mustn’t waste this key moment to learn from the lessons of lockdown, confront the challenges presented by remote working and capture the innovations necessitated by the crisis. This new period of transition presents a unique opportunity to build a mental health system that blends remote and face-to-face support, meets young people’s human rights, and is accessible to all. The research community must be at the forefront of this."

Link to full blog