ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses one aspect of telemental health services, that is, technology-assisted supervision and consultation (TASC), and offers case examples to illustrate practical and dynamic issues in its implementation. TASC refers to any clinical supervision or consultation conducted either regularly or intermittently via telephone, tablet, desktop computer technology, or videoconferencing system. Email, blogs, chat groups, and social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn are not included in this category, since they generally do not replace in-person supervision and consultation sessions. In many ways, providers of TASC are engaged in a familiar activity, providing supervision and consultation about clinical matters. A common source of anxiety for TASC participants involves security concerns, since confidential health information is being disclosed, placing the TASC exchange under regulations of HIPAA, which were modified in 2009 by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). Dynamic issues in either the supervisor or supervisee may also serve as contraindications for TASC.
