NSU Psychology Graduate Publishes Book

Jonathan Perle, Ph.D., ABPP, graduate of NSU’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, recently published “A Mental Health Provider’s Guide to Telehealth: Providing Outpatient Videoconferencing Services”. This book was written to serve as a videoconferencing guide for psychological providers.

Perle explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many health care providers to rely more on technology than ever before. While this transition to telehealth services has been made, it has not been without challenges. He added that “telehealth has certainly exploded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic” and he does not see the trend reversing anytime soon. Therefore, “a provider should be knowledgeable on both the positives and drawbacks of telehealth use in order to ensure optimal practice.”

Reminiscing about this time at NSU, Perle noted that while he was completing his degree, “telehealth wasn’t really discussed”. His main influencer of this line of work was NSU College of Psychology professor Barry Nierenberg. “Looking back, it was really Dr. Nierenberg who supported my telehealth work by encouraging me to learn more about the topic, and who later chaired my telehealth-focused dissertation. Together, we published numerous articles on the topic in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Nierenberg introduced me to several well-known American Psychological Association (APA) telehealth experts which allowed me to become part of a select group of students to have contributed to the APA’s Telepsychology Guidelines. He is one of the biggest reasons why I have continued this line of work.”

Concerning his book, Perle explained that it is a culmination of about 10 years of personal study, use, and teaching about telehealth topics. The book combines research literature with professional experiences to create a videoconferencing guide for psychological providers. The purpose of this endeavor was to present a broad, simplified, and practical overview of pertinent factors through relatively brief and directly applicable chapters. The book provides readers with foundational knowledge including terminology, background research on the use of videoconferencing, and presents an overview of existing practices with guidebooks. Specific recommendations for ethical and legal factors are also presented. In the book, Perle also details numerous essential factors of a videoconferencing-based practice, including considerations of one’s computer system, video camera, display screen, microphone, videoconferencing platform, bandwidth and latency, room setup, documentation methods, and self-care practices. Multiple appendices and checklists are also provided to assist the reader.

Perle graduated from the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program in 2013. Additional information about his book can be found here: https://www.routledge.com/A-Mental-Health-Providers-Guide-to-Telehealth-Providing-Outpatient-Videoconferencing/Perle/p/book/9780367713577