The Coalition for Technology in Behavioral Science (CTiBS) offers the healthcare provider community a interprofessional, international credentialing system for telebehavioral health. Based on a foundation of rigorous criteria developed by a CTiBS task force composed of published experts in the field, the CTiBS Telebehavioral Health Credentialing Program offers a designation that is credible, comprehensive and portable. It provides a uniform credentialing process across behavioral disciplines, and thereby helps to minimize the confusion that can occur when multiple processes and designations are used across professions and programs. It serves as a standard of telebehavioral health competency and professionalism for providers and patients alike.
Credentials serve as verification that a professional has achieved a baseline level of competency in his or her subject matter. Possessing a credential not only helps one to prove competency and capability for telepractice, but also demonstrates to the professional community and employers that the individual is competent, properly trained and equipped to carry out his or her duties. With credentialed staff members, employers can be more reasonably assured of having a workforce of practitioners that are capable of handling the complex challenges that telepractice can present. The CTiBS Credentialing Program is designed to assure baseline competencies and to differentiate professionals independent of a specific learning experience with a CTiBS-approved certificate-training program.
CTiBS then, offers standard criteria for professional training program organizations seeking to deliver competency-based training to professionals seeking the CTiBS credential, as well as to deliver that credential to professionals who have obtained the needed training. Successful applicants who have completed a CTiBS-approved training program and other qualifying criteria required by CTiBS are authorized to use the CTiBS designation.