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BackgroundWhile spinal cord injury (SCI) caregiving can be a rewarding experience, caregivers often experience reduced mental and physical health. ObjectiveThis article describes the methodology of a study examining the efficacy of a newly developed telehealth Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for caregivers of individuals with acute SCI. MethodsA mixed-methods, randomized controlled trial is comparing TAP outcomes to that of a standard-of-care control. The study is recruiting for 48 months and incorporating quantitative outcome measures. ResultsThis study was funded by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation in April 2017. It was approved by the institutional review boards at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center that same year. Participant recruitment and data collection began in 2018. ConclusionsThis study is implementing and testing an SCI caregiver intervention unlike any created before, targeting a critical time period that, until now, other SCI caregiver interventions have overlooked. Research personnel intend to disseminate the intervention and study findings through the publication of manuscripts and presentations at conferences. If the current study shows improvements in caregiver or patient well-being, the TAP for SCI caregivers could become part of the standard of care for acute SCI. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03244098; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03244098 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/28256

The COVID‐19 pandemic has altered life globally like no other event in modern history, and psychological service changes to meet the resultant impacts on families have not been assessed in the empirical literature. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether family systems therapists increased their teletherapy use during the pandemic relative to prepandemic usage, and whether projected postpandemic rates would remain at the same level; further, environmental and demographic predictors of these changes were examined. In May 2020, a sample of 626 family systems therapists (58.6% women, 40.6% men; M = 57.4 years old; M years in practice = 25.5) completed a national online study assessing these variables. Results suggested that family systems therapists performed 7.92% of their clinical work using teletherapy before the pandemic and 88.17% during the pandemic. They also projected that they would perform 36.57% of their clinical work using teletherapy after the pandemic. Teletherapy uptake was unrelated to primary practice setting, provider age, gender, race/ethnicity, and practice location (urban/suburban vs. rural) but was higher for family systems therapists who reported increased supportive teletherapy policies and training in their practice setting. Organizational infrastructure and availability of training played an important role in influencing teletherapy uptake during the pandemic. Family systems therapists have a unique opportunity to deploy teletherapy modalities to meet the needs of families during the COVID‐19 pandemic, and infrastructure and training to do so may facilitate that work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine whether the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) apply to psychologists' openness to using telepsychology. Method: Participants were 1,791 psychologists currently practicing psychotherapy. Participants represented all 50 US states and averaged 26.33 (SD = 11.18) years in clinical practice. The study used a cross‐sectional, national online design. Results: Path analyses derived from the TRA and TAM evidenced poor fit. A newly‐developed, third model achieved adequate to fit in which perceived attitudes of others concerning telepsychology were associated with perceived ease of use (β = 0.25, p <.001) and usefulness (β = 0.30, p <.001) of telepsychology. Perceived ease of use (β = 0.30, p <.001) and usefulness (β = 0.32, p <.001) of telepsychology both uniquely predicted current use of telepsychology. Conclusions: Organizations should adopt methods for delivering telepsychology that are easy to use and possess demonstrable utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]