8 - Telemental Health Satisfaction and Usefulness: Exploring the Client Experience

Abstract Information: Centerstone of Tennessee (CTN) serves a diverse population of individuals with mental health and substance abuse disorders across 95 counties in Tennessee. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health symptoms and increased the need for telemental health services (Hamada, 2020). CTN’s virtual clinic expands access to meet the needs of individuals of the target population. The purpose of the broader study is to evaluate the impact of telehealth services on client outcomes. Client data are collected at baseline, 6-month reassessment, and discharge. This poster presentation will focus on the client experience, using data from the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) to examine satisfaction levels, usefulness ratings, and other dimensions. Qualitative data collected at follow-up will provide context to the TUQ responses by identifying critical themes associated with client satisfaction or dissatisfaction. This study contributes to the growing body of research on virtual mental health services and highlights the value of a mixed-methods approach in evaluating client outcomes. Research reported in this presentation is part of the Community Mental Health Center’s (CMHC) Grant Program awarded to Centerstone of Tennessee. This grant is supported by the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, of the Department of Health and Human Services under award SM85416.