Name
The Role of Care Navigation in Supporting Digital Mental Health Interventions: Perspectives from Frontline Mental Health Professionals
Description

Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs) provide accessible mental health support at scale, but their effectiveness can be significantly enhanced through strategic care navigation. This presentation explores who benefits most from care navigation, when it should be offered alongside DMHI, and how it ensures sustainable mental health outcomes. Drawing from qualitative interviews with peer support specialists and care coordinators within Kooth’s Soluna platform, we highlight key insights on optimizing care navigation in digital interventions. Findings emphasize the importance of timely, personalized referrals and professional judgment in connecting youth to the right resources beyond a single session.

Co-Authors
Emily Cowling, PhD and Louisa Salhi, PhD
Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Care management, Innovations, Research and evaluation
Session Type
Concurrent
SIG or Committee
Collaborative Care Model (CoCM)
Objective 1
Describe how care navigation enhances the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions, particularly for youth requiring additional support.
Objective 2
Identify key user characteristics that indicate when care navigation should be introduced within a digital intervention.
Objective 3
Apply best practices for integrating care navigation into DMHIs to ensure more personalized, scalable, and sustainable mental health support.
Content Reference 1

Sandelowski M (2000) Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing & Health. Health 23: 334-40.

Content Reference 2

Hsieh H-F, Shannon SE. Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis. Qualitative Health Research. 2005;15(9):1277-1288. doi:10.1177/1049732305276687

Content Reference 3

Falconer E, Kho D, Docherty JP. Use of technology for care coordination initiatives for patients with mental health issues: a systematic literature review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2018 Sep 13;14:2337-2349. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S172810. PMID: 30254446; PMCID: PMC6143125.