Telebehavioral health is the practice of behavioral health using a telecommunications system to provide clinical services, professional training, administrative and other services at geographically separate sites. Service can be delivered in “real-time” using the telephone, interactive video conferencing, or through “store and forward” which relies on the transmission of images and data for review at a later time. Telebehavioral health can also involve email, text messaging and a wide range of other software applications to facilitate access and data transfer. Devices can run from desktop computers on carts in hospital settings to smart devices such as tablets and smartphones. Telebehavioral health can also include storage services on the "cloud" and everything in between.
An older term for this service is "telemental health." This older term has been replaced with "telebehavioral health" by the US Federal Office of Health and Human Services (HHS) to refer to the telehealth services delivered to the combination of substance use and mental health clients and patients. The new term is an attempt to de-pathologize and de-stigmatize health care for people struggling with any one of these disorders.