From Psychotherapy to e-Therapy: The Integration of Traditional Techniques and New Communication Tools in Clinical Settings

Abstract

Technology is starting to influence psychological fields. In particular, computer-mediated communication (CMC) is providing new tools that can be fruitfully applied in psychotherapy. These new technologies do not substitute for traditional techniques and approaches but they could be used as integration in the clinical process, enhancing or making easier particular steps of it. This paper focuses on the concept of e-therapy as a new modality of helping people resolve life and relationship issues. It utilizes the power and convenience of the Internet to allow synchronous and asynchronous communication between patient and therapist. It is important to underline that e-therapy is not an alternative treatment, but a resource that can be added to traditional psychotherapy. The paper also discusses how different forms of CMC can be fruitfully applied in psychology and psychotherapy, by evaluating the effectiveness of them in the clinical practice. To enhance the diffusion of e-therapy, further research is needed to evaluate all the pros and cons.

Clinical Psychology and Medicine for the Treatment of Obesity in Out-patient Settings: The TECNOB Project

“…A new promising method for granting continuity of care to wide populations of patients at low costs is telemedicine and its more specific branches called "e-therapy", "telecare" and "e-health": information and communication technologies (ICT) used in order to exchange information useful for the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of diseases (Eysenbach, 2001;Pagliari, et al, 2005). Telecare can be carried out with tools such as web-sites, e-mail, chat lines, videoconference, telephone and mobile phones (Castelnuovo, Gaggioli, Mantovani, & Riva, 2003). As already indicated in several studies (Cline & Wong, 1999;Goulis, et al, 2004;Jeffery, et al, 2003;Maglaveras, et al, 2002;Rice, 2005) and in various reviews (Neve, Morgan, Jones, & Collins, 2009;Saperstein, Atkinson, & Gold, 2007;Weinstein, 2006), behavioral treatments delivered through the internet (web-site and e-mail) may be valid alternatives to reduce expensive and time-consuming clinical visits.…”

Tecnologias de interface humano-computacional: realidade virtual e novos caminhos para pesquisa

“…Dez anos após, é possível observar o uso da RV em um contexto amplo na saúde mental, como em tratamento de transtornos de ansiedade, anorexia e bulimia nervosa, apoio a diagnóstico e assessoramento psicoterapêutico 1 .…”

“…Cabe pontuar, todavia, que a ênfase não deve ser tributada ao uso exclusivo da tecnologia, de modo excludente à psicoterapia. Conforme Castelnuovo et al 1 , o uso da RV deve ser balanceado de acordo com a demanda de cada caso e a RV, como valioso subsídio, deve ser utilizada para a melhora global na qualidade assistencial dispendida.…”

Realidade virtual no tratamento do transtorno de pânico

“…Dessa forma, preserva-se a necessidade de considerar os elementos fundamentais da psicoterapia, como a relação terapêutica e o uso pertinente das técnicas já estabelecidas. Castelnuovo et al 5 acrescentam que o foco não deve ser a tecnologia, mas o processo psicoterapêutico, que pode ser realçado com o uso de ferramentas tecnológicas. Assim, o uso da realidade virtual, como outras estratégias disponíveis para o campo da psicologia, não deve ser indiscriminado, mas sim coerente com a necessidade do paciente.…”