Toward uniform competency standards in telepsychology: A proposed framework for Canadian psychologists.

As Canadian psychologists increasingly incorporate Internet-based technologies into their practice, they are reminded that telepsychology-the application of technologies for the delivery of distance psycho- logical services-requires special skills, knowledge, and judgment that extend beyond the core require- ments of professional practice. However, what constitutes competence in both face-to-face and telepsy- chology practice is still evolving in Canada. This article explores how the existing framework for Canadian psychologist competence found in the Mutual Recognition Agreement of the Regulatory Bodies for Professional Psychologists in Canada (Council of Provincial Associations of Psychologists, 2001/ 2004), along with current research and other supporting documents in distance mental health, may serve as a useful foundation for the development of uniform telepsychology competency standards across Canada.Keywords: competence, telepsychology, Canadian psychologists, Mutual Recognition Agreement, pro- fessional practiceResumeTandis que les psychologues canadiens augmentent leur utilisation de technologies offertes par Internet dans leur pratique, ils pren- nent conscience que la telepsychologie - le recours a des tech- nologies pour la prestation de services de psychologie a distance - requiert des competences particulieres, des connaissances et un jugement qui depassent les exigences de base de la pratique professionnelle. Toutefois, la definition de ce que constitue une competence, a la fois pour les seances en personne et de telepsy- chologie, est en pleine evolution au pays. Le present article exam- ine en quoi le cadre actuel de competences du psychologue cana- dien, tel que defini dans Y Accord de reconnaissance mutuelle des organismes reglementaires pour les psychologues professionnels au Canada (Conseil des societes provinciales de psychologues, 2001, 2004), ainsi que dans la recherche actuelle et divers docu- ments connexes sur les soins de sante mentale a distance, peuvent servir de fondements a l'etablissement de normes de competence uniformes en telepsychologie pour l'ensemble du Canada.Mots-cles : competences, telepsychologie, psychologues canadiens, accord de reconnaissance mutuelle, pratique professionnelle.The use of technologies by psychologists to deliver tailored psychological services and information over distance, also known as telepsychology, is now seen as a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face (F2F) therapy, and has generated a growing body of research (Mallen Joint Task Force for the Develop- ment of Telepsychology Guidelines for Psychologists JTF, 2013). Mental health professionals who practice telepsychology are now combining evidence-based psychological interventions such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) with both traditional distance platforms (e.g., telephony, King, Bambling, Reid, videoconferencing, Simms, Gibson, D. M. Kaplan, Wade, Conteh, Luxton, McCann, Bush, Mishkind, Maheu, Pulier, McMenamin, depres- sion, G. Andersson Kraus, 2010a), telepsychology is now seen as a useful adjunct to F2F therapy (e. …