Therapists' views and recommendations on the ins and outs of practicing teletherapy

Objective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of teletherapy became mandatory for most therapists. Many therapists who had previously felt reluctant to try teletherapy ultimately transitioned to teletherapy with little experience or training. We qualitatively examined therapists' subjective...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Counselling psychology quarterly 2024-07, Vol.37 (3), p.398-418
Main Authors: Aafjes-van Doorn, Katie, Békés, Vera, Stukenberg, Karl W., Roberts, Kailey E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
consensual qualitative research
COVID-19
Interviews
Pandemics
Professional attitudes
Psychotherapists
Qualitative research
Research methodology
Subjective experiences
teletherapy
therapist
Therapists
videoconferencing
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of teletherapy became mandatory for most therapists. Many therapists who had previously felt reluctant to try teletherapy ultimately transitioned to teletherapy with little experience or training. We qualitatively examined therapists' subjective experiences of providing teletherapy, particularly regarding their future plans and advice for colleagues who will be using teletherapy.Methods. A total of 31 psychotherapists participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, then transcribed and analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research method. Results. Within the overarching domain Plans for after the pandemic, we identified five main categories: 1) For whom and when teletherapy is helpful; 2) Therapists' future practice plans; 3) Therapists' attitudes towards teletherapy; 4) Helpful professional support, and 5) Helpful to keep in mind when starting. Many therapists found teletherapy more acceptable than they expected and discovered that it was surprisingly useful for patients. Therapists highlighted the importance of professional peer support in tackling teletherapy's technical, legal, and therapeutic challenges. Conclusion. Overall, these results suggest great variability in therapists' subjective experiences with teletherapy during this time of forced transition. Although for some, teletherapy remains a second-best option, many now prefer hybrid treatment options for optimal flexibility.
ISSN:0951-5070
1469-3674
DOI:10.1080/09515070.2023.2227133