Many behavioral health providers had to rapidly shift to the use of telehealth services in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue offering care to clients in need. In this “post”-pandemic era, new research is highlighting that technology is here to stay in the behavioral health workforce, but with the rapid transition of virtual services, many staff report minimal training and guidance as to how to best use such technology within their organization and in the delivery of client services. While research indicates that telehealth perceptions from staff are favorable and telehealth is seen as generally useful, both urban and rural providers report training needs related to clinical care and administrative functions. This workshop will explore strategies to help increase digital literacy for clients and to effectively engage clients in remote services. Additionally, this workshop will explore several avenues of reducing barriers to telehealth care for rural and under-resourced areas, such as increasing access to the required technology and how to ensure technology-based services are structured to be reimbursable.
Ashley Fortier, PsyD
Dr. Ashley Fortier is a Psychologist Candidate in Colorado and currently serves as a Technical Assistance Lead within the Behavioral Health Program at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). She works with various stakeholders across states and organizations in the West to further behavioral health program development and workforce initiatives. Her professional mission is to increase behavioral health care accessibility, effectiveness, and capacity in rural and frontier regions. She collaborates on a variety of research projects and publications in the areas of rural behavioral health, trauma-informed care, child and adolescent suicidology, and innovations in psychology practice. Much of Dr. Fortier’s clinical experiences focused on delivering mental health care to survivors of trauma and abuse, patients with severe and persistent mental illness, incarcerated juveniles and adults, and those experiencing acute behavioral health crises. Dr. Fortier received her B.S. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst as well as her M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology-Los Angeles.
