Technology and Mental Health for Children and Adolescents
Presented by: Eduardo Bunge, PhD and Blanca Pineda, EdD
15 Hours / 15 CEs
On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training
This on-demand professional training program on Technology and Mental Health for Children and Adolescents: Screen Time, Digital Interventions and Teletherapy is presented by Eduardo Bunge, PhD and Blanca Pineda, EdD.
This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Foundations of Digital Mental Health Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.
With the rise of new technologies, our society is being transformed, and children and adolescents will be affected both positively and negatively by these technologies. Clinicians working with children and adolescents often advise parents on what to do with their children's technology use (e.g., screen time, cyberbullying, video games, etc.). Developing a science-based view of the impact of the new Information and Communication Technologies on the children and adolescents development could help clinicians provide better recommendations for parents. Additionally, technologies can be specifically designed to treat and prevent mental health disorders in children and adolescents. Even more, Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) may have the capacity to expand delivery models and/or increase the outcomes of therapy. BITs are defined as mobile and electronic interventions that incorporate a variety of technologies, such as mobile phones, the Internet, and virtual reality, in order to assist users in altering behaviors and cognitions related to mental and physical health wellness (Mohr, Schueller, Montague, Burns, Rashidi, 2014). Emphasis is placed on treatments designed to be effective with the most commonly occurring pediatric and adolescent health conditions and mental disorders. New professionals trained for the future of mental health care will require to be familiarized with the evidence for and utilization of BITs such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, Internet interventions, mobile health, wearables, etc. Finally, there is a need to deliver therapy through videoconference (Teletherapy). Conducting teletherapy sessions is both challenging and provides new opportunities. A set of considerations and recommendations on how to conduct teletherapy are presented.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- 1 Describe the attitudes towards technology present in youth, parents, and mental health professionals
- 2 Describe a critical view of the impact of the new Information and Communication Technologies on the children and adolescents development
- 3 Describe that new technologies have on youth development, including recommendations that clinicians can give parents on how to deal with technologies
- 4 Describe the core concepts of Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) for Children and Adolescents for the most common mental health disorders
- 5 Describe the main Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) with empirical support for children and adolescents, including apps, websites, and videogames
- 6 Describe how to conduct telehealth with children and adolescents
Training Instructors:
Eduardo Bunge, PhD
Dr. Eduardo Bunge is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Palo Alto University (PAU). Dr. Bunge directs the Children and Adolescents Psychotherapy and Technology (CAPT) Research Lab, and is Associate Director for the International Institute of Internet Interventions for Health at Palo Alto University. His works focus on integrating technology and mental health, and his most recent contributions were in Artificial Intelligence-Based Chatbots for depression, anxiety, and parenting in English and Spanish.
Blanca Pineda, EdD
Dr. Blanca Pineda is the Research Project Manager for i4Health (Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health) and former Chair of the Latinx Task Force at Palo Alto University. She earned her MA degree in Interdisciplinary Education with a focus on STEEM (Science, Technology, Environmental Education, and Math) from Santa Clara University and received her Ed.D. in Learning and Instruction from the University of San Francisco.
Training Outline
Key topics covered in this training include:
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Attitudes towards technology present in youth, parents, and mental health professionals
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Discuss new technologies' impact on youth development
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Recommendations that clinicians can give parents on how to deal with technologies
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Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) for Children and Adolescents for the most common mental health disorders
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Behavioral Intervention Technologies (BITs) with empirical support for children and adolescents, including apps, websites, and video games
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Describe how to conduct telehealth with children and adolescents
Earning a Certificate
This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
CE Sponsorship Information
Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here.
American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).
Sponsorship Approval Statements
Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.