ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the benefits and implications of using E-mental health (eMH) approaches to provide mental health care to service users. Across the globe, mental illness has been identified as a major population health issue. 2017, the American National Association of Social Workers published an updated Code of Ethics to include issues regarding the use of technology in social work practice. The most common application of respect for client self-determination is in the adherence to the conditions of informed consent. Nearly all social work codes of ethics articulate a commitment to social justice, that is, justice as it relates the distribution of resources, benefits, and burdens in society. In 1996, the United States enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that identified standards for the privacy, security, and transmission of individuals’ protected health information. The lack of specific regulations and/or regulatory bodies to protect service users and the public in the realm of eMH is concerning.
