Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age
The temporary closure of the Outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic at the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna during the Covid-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and unexpected reaction to assure further psychotherapeutic services. Both psychotherapists and patients were forced into a rapid transiti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024054951 |
| _version_ | 1797210041144573952 |
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| author | Birgitta Schiller Martin Kuska Stella Becher-Urbaniak Eva Wimmer Manfred Reisinger Kathrin Mörtl |
| author_facet | Birgitta Schiller Martin Kuska Stella Becher-Urbaniak Eva Wimmer Manfred Reisinger Kathrin Mörtl |
| author_sort | Birgitta Schiller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The temporary closure of the Outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic at the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna during the Covid-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and unexpected reaction to assure further psychotherapeutic services. Both psychotherapists and patients were forced into a rapid transition to online psychotherapy. While Covid-19 research has comprehensively described challenges of online psychotherapies, we were interested in learning specifically how early stage psychotherapists-in-training, who started their clinical work with patients exclusively in the online setting, experienced this unprecedented clinical situation.Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with psychotherapists in training. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The analysis revealed how psychotherapists in training were able to cultivate a set of early-training resources and competencies in the online therapy setting without evidence-based guidelines from supervisors and the institution. This study highlighted the necessity of incorporating specific and novel educational input that is necessary for achieving specific online skills in the early training phase. Recognizing that the therapeutic landscape has undergone an irreversible transformation, the data suggest that distinct techniques are necessary to equip early-training psychotherapists for the now commonly practiced alternation between online setting and in-person setting in psychotherapeutic processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:04:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-80683382ce3446d9bde9a73712b36961 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:04:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-80683382ce3446d9bde9a73712b369612024-04-13T04:21:35ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402024-04-01108e29464Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital ageBirgitta Schiller0Martin Kuska1Stella Becher-Urbaniak2Eva Wimmer3Manfred Reisinger4Kathrin Mörtl5Institute for Qualitative Research, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, Austria; Corresponding author.Faculty of Psychotherapy Science, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, AustriaResearch Department University Outpatient Clinic for Adults, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, AustriaInstitute for Qualitative Research, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, AustriaInstitute for Qualitative Research, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, AustriaInstitute for Qualitative Research, Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, AustriaThe temporary closure of the Outpatient Psychotherapy Clinic at the Sigmund Freud Private University in Vienna during the Covid-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and unexpected reaction to assure further psychotherapeutic services. Both psychotherapists and patients were forced into a rapid transition to online psychotherapy. While Covid-19 research has comprehensively described challenges of online psychotherapies, we were interested in learning specifically how early stage psychotherapists-in-training, who started their clinical work with patients exclusively in the online setting, experienced this unprecedented clinical situation.Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with psychotherapists in training. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The analysis revealed how psychotherapists in training were able to cultivate a set of early-training resources and competencies in the online therapy setting without evidence-based guidelines from supervisors and the institution. This study highlighted the necessity of incorporating specific and novel educational input that is necessary for achieving specific online skills in the early training phase. Recognizing that the therapeutic landscape has undergone an irreversible transformation, the data suggest that distinct techniques are necessary to equip early-training psychotherapists for the now commonly practiced alternation between online setting and in-person setting in psychotherapeutic processes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024054951Psychotherapy researchDigital healthcareBody in psychotherapyTraining researchQualitative research |
| spellingShingle | Birgitta Schiller Martin Kuska Stella Becher-Urbaniak Eva Wimmer Manfred Reisinger Kathrin Mörtl Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age Heliyon Psychotherapy research Digital healthcare Body in psychotherapy Training research Qualitative research |
| title | Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| title_full | Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| title_fullStr | Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| title_short | Online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the Covid-19 pandemic: A new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| title_sort | online psychotherapy as a first clinical experience during the covid 19 pandemic a new generation of psychotherapists in the digital age |
| topic | Psychotherapy research Digital healthcare Body in psychotherapy Training research Qualitative research |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024054951 |
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