Teamwork makes the dream work: Leveraging telehealth and APN/LPC alliance to mitigate anxiety for youth diagnosed on the autism spectrum

Abstract

Required Coronavirus quarantining provided a unique opportunity for clinicians to grow professionally. This study examines use of HIPAA compliant telehealth technologies in two ways. First, telehealth offered a chance for professionals like APNs (advanced practice nurses) and LPCs (licensed professional counselors) to team up, trade referrals and to work together as virtual caring teams. Secondly, this study highlights several ways a caring professional team can mitigate ASD youth (and caregiver) anxiety through improved treatment delivery via telehealth, and ways added functionality can serve this vulnerable population. This study provides information clinicians can use at once to enhance alliances with one another and with ASD youth as well as caregiver(s) using richer multimedia, multimodal treatment delivery.