Date of Award

August 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling Psychology & Community Services

First Advisor

Rachel Navarro

Second Advisor

Klaus Cavalhieri

Abstract

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak increased demand for telehealth services for mental health providers (Zhou et al., 2020). To our knowledge, conducting psychological assessments through tele-health platforms has limited empirical and ethical support (Wright et al., 2020; Stifel et al., 2020; American Psychological Association [APA], 2020a). Moving from traditional to remote testing administration requires preparation, training, and practice (Joint Task Force for the Development of Telepsychology Guidelines for Psychologists [Telepsychology Task Force], 2013; Wright et al., 2020). Even if psychologists have access to test materials and the necessary technology to conduct tele-assessments, they may not have the training and clinical experience to engage in tele-health competently (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2020). The purpose of this study was to find consensus amongst professionals on best practices in tele-assessment, to guide future practice and training. Through a Delphi methodology, professionals familiar with tele-assessment were surveyed on three different rounds (Round 1: n = 12; Round 2: n = 12; Round 3: n = 10), and identified main themes associated with best practices on tele-assessment. The experts agreed that tele-assessment is associated with the following 12 categories: 1) Uses of tele-assessment, 2) Adaptation requirements for tele-assessment, 3) Impacts of tele-assessment, 4) Ethical concerns of tele-assessment, 5) Risks and limitations of tele-assessment, 6) Advantages of tele-assessment, 7) Disadvantages of tele-assessment, 8) Training requirements for tele-assessment, 9) Advantages of teaching tele-assessment in graduate school, 10) Disadvantages/limitation to teaching tele-assessment, 11) Multicultural considerations for tele-assessment, and 12) Proctor/facilitator/caregiver considerations for tele-assessment. Tele-assessment services appear to provide an opportunity for psychologists to expand the capabilities of their practice, provide quality services, and meet the needs for individuals from afar.

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