Therapy Tech

A pointed look at the state of tech-based mental healthcare and what we must do to change it Proponents of technology trumpet it as the solution to the massive increase in the mental distress that confronts our nation. They herald the arrival of algorithms, intelligent chatbots, smartphone applications, telemental healthcare services, and more—but are these technological fixes really as good as they seem? In Therapy Tech, Emma Bedor Hiland presents the first comprehensive study of how technology has transformed mental healthcare, showing that this revolution can’t deliver what it promises. Far from providing a solution, technological mental healthcare perpetuates preexisting disparities while relying on the same failed focus on personal responsibility that has let us down before. Through vivid, in-depth case studies, Therapy Tech reveals these problems, covering issues including psychosurveillance on websites like Facebook and 7 Cups of Tea, shortcomings of popular AI “doctors on demand” like Woebot, Wysa, and Joy, and even how therapists are being conscripted into the gig economy. Featuring a vital coda that brings Therapy Tech up to date for the COVID era, this book is the first to give readers a large-scale analysis of mental health technologies and the cultural changes they have enabled. Both a sobering dissection of the current state of mental health and a necessary warning of where things are headed, Therapy Tech makes an important assertion about how to help those in need of mental health services today.

Mental Health Concepts and Techniques for the Occupational Therapy Assistant, Fourth Edition offers a solid foundation in occupational therapy processes to identify and address the needs of persons with mental health problems. This updated edition reflects important new developments in basic neuroscience, psychopharmacology, occupational therapy theory, and evaluation and treatment methods, and remains the only text of its kind written specifically for the occupational therapy assistant. The reader-friendly format is designed for the two-year college student. New content in this expanded text fulfills criteria set out in the American Occupational Therapy Association's Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapy Assistant. Special Fourth Edition Features: New Chapter is dedicated to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. Enhanced Art Program provides more content for visual learners. Chapter Objectives help the reader focus on learning goals. Chapter Review Questions test comprehension, enabling the reader to advance in the text. Point-of-View boxes offer differing perspectives on key topics. Case Examples provide the bridge from theory to practice. Concepts Summary and Vocabulary Review boxes reinforce the chapter content. Additional features include ample tables and boxes, which highlight key information, examples of group protocols and documentation, and a list of common acronyms. In short, this one text provides the information needed by occupational therapy assistants working with clients with mental health problems in a variety of clinical or community settings.