Intervening with Grace: Achieving Balance Between the Needs and Perspectives of the Person in Crisis and the Provider

Digital solutions, such as mobile applications (apps) and responsive website designs, are becoming increasingly commonplace as tools to support behavioral health and primary care clinical practice. At their least effective, digital solutions have the potential to put functional and technical requirements before considerations for the end-user clinician or client in crisis. Many fear that  this new frontier of cutting-edge resources has the potential to  interfere with the maintenance of the therapeutic relationship between the provider and consumer, and silence the voice of the client.

This presentation will describe ways by which Behavioral Health tools, especially digital solutions, may best balance the needs of the clinician, with the concerns and needs of the patient/client.  Discussion will address ethics and practice issues, such as sensitivity to comfort level of the provider, and maintaining patient/client privacy.  Special attention will be given to the unique needs of Primary Care Providers working with patients/clients experiencing Behavioral Health crises, such as suicidal thoughts or intents.

This sesion offers a panel discussion exploring how the perspective of the client/patient may be kept central to the development and creation of a digital solution to support best practices in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral health concerns. The session will use the example of the development of a mobile app - SAMHSA's "Suicide SAFE"- to improve suicide assessment approaches amongst behavioral health and primary care clinicians. The panelists have all been involved in various aspects of the app development.