COVID-19 and the Acceleration of Behavioral Parent Training Telehealth: Current Status and Future Directions

Sullivan, Alexandra D.W.; Forehand, Rex; Acosta, Juliana; Parent, Justin; Comer, Jonathan S.; Loiselle, Raelyn; Jones, Deborah J.

The SARS CO-V-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated social distancing guidelines have accelerated the telehealth transition in mental health. For those providing Behavioral Parent Training (BPT), this transition has called for moving sessions that are traditionally clinic-based, active, and directive to engaging, supporting, and treating families of children with behavior disorders remotely in their homes. Whereas many difficulties accompany this transition, the lessons learned during the current public health crisis have the potential to transform BPT service delivery on a large scale in ways that address many of its long-standing limitations. We describe both challenges and opportunities and consider the possibilities inherent in a large scale BPT service delivery model capable of increasing the reach and impact of evidence-based treatment for all families.