The Working Group to Revise the Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology (TP PPG) in consultation with the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) and Committee on Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS), seek member and public comments on the revision of Guidelines for the Professional Practice of Telepsychology (APA, 2013).

The proposed Guidelines are intended as a revision of the prior 2013 version. The revised guidelines emphasize more than a decade of developments in available mental health technology tools, psychological science, legal standards, and principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. This revision seeks to be responsive to the significant increase in tele-psychological practice, especially in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beneficiaries of the revised Guidelines will include psychologists who are engaged in telepsychology practice, teach psychology students and professional-level trainees, supervise psychological services, and create institutional policies related to telepsychology. In addition, the revised guidelines may be instructive for large institutions and organizations employing psychologists, as well as legislative, regulatory and judicial bodies involved in decision-making regarding psychologists delivering telepsychology. 

Comments Welcome

The Working Group seeks comments on 1) importance, relevance, and adequacy of the proposed revision of the guidelines, 2) suggestions for additional content to address critical topics not covered in this update; and 3) expressions of support and/or approval of this proposed update of the guidelines. The Working Group welcomes comments on

• Overall importance/relevance of the Guidelines.
• Terminology and concepts used in the document.
• Citations and references used in the document.
• How the guidelines inform practice or address specific issues.
• Insights or examples from practice that find support in the Guidelines.
• Gaps or opportunities that may need to be addressed in this update.
• Special issues, hot topics, or trends that need to be addressed in this revision.

The Working Group invites APA governance groups, specifically, among others, to offer support and approval where appropriate, and appreciates these actions and feedback. (See General Comments that may accommodate these actions or comments). Where a new guideline section or topic is proposed, we ask you to include suggested wording. Where modifications are proposed, we ask that you reference the relevant section, title, or line number. All comments will be shared with the developers for further review and consideration. 

Thank you for your actions and feedback. The deadline for submitting comments is May 20th, 2024.