In Teletherapy We Trust-Now What? Three Questions for Mental Health Care Stakeholders

Does teletherapy work, and does it work as well as in-person therapy? These questions have been critically important to mental health care stakeholders, including patients, providers, managed care organizations, researchers, and policy makers. Despite persistent doubts among some professionals that teletherapy is as effective as in-person therapy, the meta-analysis conducted by Lin et al. (2021) found video teletherapy clients had similar short and longterm outcomes compared to in-person therapy; importantly, they also found that telephone teletherapy (audio only) may be a reliable and efficacious alternative to video teletherapy for those without access to required technology or high-speed Internet. The meta-analysis adds to the growing body of evidence that confirms teletherapy does work, and for many it works as well as in-person therapy. With this assurance, stakeholders in mental health care have many more questions to answer as we welcome a new era of care. This commentary presents three questions—about equity, capacity, and competency—for stakeholders to consider next © 2022. American Psychological Association