Technology-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in School Settings

Abstract

Technology has dramatically altered how we interact with one another. From telephone to email to instant messaging, long-distance communication has undergone a phenomenal evolution in only a few decades. Nearly 200 years passed between the establishment of the US Postal Service system and the first uses of email. In the past 40 years since the introduction of email, electronic communication has grown to dominate our written exchanges. As our methods of communicating are changing, mental health and counseling professionals are adapting their tools for providing service. The different modes of communication and interaction have given rise to new mediums of didactic learning and new techniques for the counseling relationship. Telephones, short message services (SMS) (i.e., text or instant messaging), computers, Web sites, email, video conferencing, telehealth, and now smartphones have all been used to simulate direct face-to-face contact with clients for the provision of services to a larger audience. Research over the past few decades has explored the efficacy of these methods for treating psychological and physical ailments and has uncovered important variables moderating success in their use.