From Therapy to Teletherapy: Relocating Mental Health Services Online

Abstract

Numerous studies have highlighted a range of potential benefits of teletherapy for clients. Nonetheless, researchers have found that many therapists are reluctant to adopt teletherapy in their work practice. There is a dearth of research about how therapists have appropriated telehealth platforms, either to understand teletherapy practice or to understand the challenges and opportunities for system design. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an unfortunate but unique opportunity to learn more about the experiences of therapists who use a range of therapeutic interventions with a range of client populations. In this work, we explore the following research question: in what ways do telehealth platforms support and challenge the work of teletherapy? We present results of semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 mental health therapists during the first six months of the pandemic in the United States. We present a descriptive account of their experiences as well as a discussion of the ways in which the multi-layered and interdependent nature of two facets of therapeutic work-the therapeutic alliance and the therapeutic interventions-made the transition to computer-supported cooperative work particularly challenging. We then offer a suite of design implications for systems that better support the nuanced and unique work of teletherapy.CCS Concepts: • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in collaborative and social computing; • Applied computing → Health informatics.

Empowering Seafarers as Agents of Their Mental Health: The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Seafarers’ Well-Being

“…It has been reported that the client’s MH outcomes vis-à-vis face-to-face therapy are comparable. 49 From observations, seafarers who might be experiencing MH symptoms but are afraid to talk to their families or work colleagues prefer someone anonymous who listens, respects confidentiality, and is without bias. In this study, however, only 3 in 10 seafarers have used outsourced tele-counseling services during this pandemic.…”

Digital communication tools in family therapy: A review of opportunities and challenges for English-Speaking practitioners

“…In addition to improving accessibility, digital communication tools offer unique advantages in facilitating enhanced communication between therapists and clients. Video conferencing, in particular, has emerged as a preferred modality for conducting remote therapy sessions, enabling therapists to engage in face-to-face interactions with clients regardless of their physical location (Robledo Yamamoto et al, 2021). Research indicates that video-based interventions are associated with high levels of client satisfaction and therapeutic alliance, fostering rapport building and facilitating the expression of nonverbal cues critical for effective communication and understanding within the therapeutic dyad.…”

Influence of Passive Haptic and Auditory Feedback on Presence and Mindfulness in Virtual Reality Environments

“…Technologies within interactive spaces to support mindfulness practices and well-being are becoming increasingly important in people's well-being routines [3,70]. Concurrently, popularity of mindfulness practices has grown over the past few years [46,58,70]. In the next sections, we will define mindfulness and its benefits for well-being and health.…”