Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

Psychologist |  Author  |  Consultant  |  Speaker & Speaking Schedule

Dr. Maheu is one of the foremost thought leaders in telehealth as applied to mental health (telemental health). For more than 15 years, she's consulted with large health and mental health insurance companies, community clincs and centers, physician groups, universities, and independent practitioners.

She is the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, where professionals can earn continuing education units and certification in telehealth, including online counseling and online therapy.

She is the Founder of SelfhelpMagazine and has been its Editor-in-Chief  since 1994. This online portal is an award-winning,  peer reviewed publication. It holds contributions from thousands of professionals. It was selected by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as the only recipient of funding to showcase mental health technology during President Clinton's 1997 inauguration. It has served over 30 million visitors from around the world since its inception. It is one of the largest consumer audiences online for psychology information translated into plain English. Featured in the Best 100 Website lists of magazines such as Web Magazine, SelfhelpMagazine has been highlighted in the Utne Reader, USA Today, US News and World Report, the Miami Herald, the LA Times, National Public Radio and many more print, radio and television media outlets.

Dr. Maheu is a Licensed Psychologist in San Diego, California (PSY#11921). She has served the American Psychological Association's Division 46 as Co-chairperson, Task Force for Media in 1995. She served as the Telehealth and the Telehealth Liaison for Women through APA Division 35 for several years starting in 1996. She served as a Content Expert to the APA's Telehealth Institute in 1997. She also completed a 3-year term as an appointed member of the APA Committee on Professional Practice Standards (COPPS) in 2000. She is now serving Division 35 of the APA as the New Media Task Force Chairperson.

Locally, she served the California Psychological Association as a member of the Division of Media and Technology, the Committee for Continuing Education, and the Task Force for Innovation in Psychology. She has been recognized by the California Psychological Association with the Division of Media, Technology and Communication, Jacqueline Bouhoustsos, Ph.D. Award For Contribution to Media Psychology, 1999.

Her second book, Infidelity on the Internet is co-authored with Rona Subotnik, MA. This consumer- oriented book examines online cheating. Based on an extensive survey of visitors to SelfhelpMagazine, this self-help manual reflects dozens of poignant stories from dozens of people who experienced the roller-coaster of infidelity on the Internet. The book defines "emotional cheating." It draws brings sanity to an otherwise crazy-making experience. It serves as a survival guide, and gives a detailed glimpse into the repair work required by several couples in therapy.

 

Dr. Maheu's third book,  The Mental Health Professional and the New Technologies: A Handbook for Practice Today was co-authored with Myron Pulier, M.D., Joseph McMenamin, M.D., Esq., Frank Wilhelm, Ph.D, and Nancy Brown-Connolly, RN, MSN. It serves as a how-to manual for both the beginner as well as seasoned telehealth professional. It  gives a wide range of examples for how email chat rooms, telephones and video are already being used to deliver remote service. It details how to build a professional presence through websites and communities. It guides the reader through an easy-to-understand oultine of risk management from the perspective of legal/ethical solutions.
 

Since 1995, Dr. Maheu has persoanlly delivered or helped organize over 150 professional programs related to telehealth at the American Psychological Association, American Telemedicine Association, the American Counseling Association, and numerous state professional associations. 

As an ethicist, her areas of expertise include risk management: legal/ethical, standard of care, clinical protocols, authentication, informed consent, community-building, malpractice insurance. Her consumer-oriented speaking topics include multi-media product development & online marketing. Her expertise also includes Internet-related addictive and overuse behaviors, such as online gambing, gaming, shopping, romance, dating, sexuality and infidelity. 

She has trained students and faculty at leading universities such as Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Alliant University and Johns Hopkins. She is the former Director of Telehealth and Ehealth for Alliant University. 

She is the Executive Director for the TeleMental Health Institute, where professionals of all mental health disciplines can obtain continuing education (CME & CEU) as well as certification for how to develop and maintain a thriving remote practice. Upcoming CE programs at the Institute include Reimbursement Success and Videoconferencing Secrets.