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Telehealth for Substance Use Disorder

Telehealth for SUD individual and group therapy

Learn how to use telehealth to provide individual and group therapy for SUD treatment to increase access to care.

Individual therapy

Telehealth visits for individual therapy are effective for treatment of SUD. There are some critical elements to remember when using telehealth for one-on-one treatment:

  • Maintain eye contact. It is important that the provider maintain eye contact to help develop a strong and trusting patient-provider relationship.
  • Comfort with the platform. The provider must be familiar and comfortable with the selected telehealth platform. Comprehensive training is essential prior to providing therapy using telehealth.
  • Adherence to treatment plans. Each appointment should be structured to align with the patient’s treatment plan.
  • Ongoing dialogue. Education regarding MOUD and ongoing treatment and maintenance therapy should be repeated regularly. It should not be confined to a singular telehealth encounter.
  • Share information. The practice should provide the patient additional resources that they can access for continued treatment.

Group therapy

There are some important elements to remember when developing a telehealth group therapy practice:

  • Establish appropriate privacy and confidentiality procedures. The practice must maintain patient confidentiality by avoiding questions that may reveal details or conversations the patient had with their care team during one-on-one treatment. Other strategies to support privacy include using initials for on-screen identification and allowing participants to turn off their cameras during the session.
  • Pre-screening. A pre-screening workflow should be established to review informed consent and establish group guidelines.
  • Contingency plan. A process and procedures should be established in the event the group gets disconnected.

More information:

Cultivating trust and building relationships during a telehealth visit — Health Resources and Services Administration

Group teletherapy — Health Resources and Services Administration

Individual teletherapy — Health Resources and Services Administration

Preparing patients for telehealth — Health Resources and Services Administration

Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders (PDF) — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration