Description
Telepsychiatry can extend psychiatric expertise to institutional and forensic settings, but effective care requires more than a video connection. This webinar will examine practical approaches to evaluating and consulting with people who have serious and persistent mental illness, complex treatment histories, cognitive or sensory limitations, and understandable mistrust of systems and clinicians. Participants will consider how room selection, lighting, acoustics, camera control, staff roles, privacy, and emergency procedures affect clinical quality and safety. The session will also address strategies for building rapport through video, preparing on-site staff to support the examination, responding when urgent intervention is needed, and maintaining consultation and peer connection for remote clinicians. Examples from long-running telepsychiatry consultation programs will illustrate benefits, limitations, and implementation lessons.
Format
Live webinar.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of the activity, participants will:
- Identify environmental, technology, staffing, and emergency-readiness factors that affect the safety and clinical quality of telepsychiatry in institutional and forensic settings
- Apply communication and examination techniques that support rapport, trust, and adequate observation when evaluating people with serious mental illness through video
- Develop a practical consultation workflow that defines on-site staff roles, escalation procedures, and avenues for peer consultation and ongoing clinical support
Outline
- Technology as a tool for addressing healthcare access issues
- Best practices for telemedicine
- Navigating highly secure environments and emergency planning
- Staff training and case discussion
Target Audience
Psychiatrist, Resident or Fellow, Medical Student, Physician (Non-Psychiatric), Physician Assistant, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Technician, Pharmacist, Psychologist, Counselor/Therapist, Social Worker
Instructional Level
Introductory, Intermediate
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1 hour
Program Release Date: 10/21/2026
Program End Date: 10/21/2026
Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board
After completing the course, engage with colleagues in the mental health field through the Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board. This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar. Access through the discussion tab.
How to Earn Credit
After completing the evaluation, participants will have the opportunity to claim their hours of participation and download the appropriate certificate. Physicians may obtain an official CME certificate, other healthcare professionals may receive a CE certificate (as applicable), and all other attendees may generate a certificate of participation. Each certificate will reflect the event date and total hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, American Psychiatric Association (APA) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The APA designates this live event for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses/Nurse Practitioners
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) designates this activity for 1.00 Nursing contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Psychiatric Technicians
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is approved by the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) as a provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychiatric Technicians (LPTs). Provider Number: 15028
This course is approved for 1.00 of continuing education for LPTs.
Pharmacists
This curriculum has been approved for 1.00 contact hours by the American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychiatric Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. The Universal Activity Number for this program is JA0000145-0000-26-008-L99-P. This learning activity is knowledge-based. Your CE credits will be electronically submitted to NABP upon successful completion of the activity. Pharmacists with questions can contact NABP customer service (custserv@nabp.net).
Psychologists
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
Social Workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, American Psychiatric Association (APA) is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. APA maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1.00 Clinical, Social work clinical practice continuing education credits.
***Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit. Social workers and Psychologists should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity - including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others - are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Faculty:
- Terry Rabinowitz, MD, DDS, MS, is Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. He is Medical Director of the Psychiatry Consultation Service at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Dr. Rabinowitz developed a telepsychiatry consultation service for rural nursing home residents beginning in 2002 and has led, taught, and published on telepsychiatry implementation and care for rural and medically underserved populations. He is the founding chair of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry's Telepsychiatry Special Interest Group and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Telemedicine Association.
Program Planners:
- John Torous, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Torous has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Kathryn Hanley, APRN, Austin State Hospital. Ms. Hanley has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Megan Ehret, PharmD, BCPP, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Dr. Ehret has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Amy N. Cohen, PhD, American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Cohen has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Sherin Khan, LCSW, Thresholds, Chicago. Ms. Khan has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Charles Perdue, Psych Tech Planner, California Department of State Hospitals. Mr. Perdue has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.
Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires JavaScript and session cookies to be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
Windows PC:
Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity |
Contact support@smicaladviser.org for technical assistance