Humer E, Stippl P, Pieh C, Pryss R, Probst T. Experiences of psychotherapists with remote psychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional web-based survey study. J Med Internet Res 2020;22(11):e20246. DOI: 10.2196/20246
Researchers aimed to explore the attitudes of psychotherapists regarding delivery of remote psychotherapy services during the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown in Austria. Researchers conducted a web-based survey among 1163 practicing psychotherapists from March 24 to April 1, 2020. All Austrian licensed psychotherapists with a valid email address were invited to complete the survey. The survey included questions about the participants’ therapeutic orientation (behavioral, humanistic, psychodynamic, or systemic), educational and professional background, and participant perceptions about whether they are able to treat patients in a comparable manner with remote therapy relative to in-person therapy. The survey also included questions to assess differences between participants’ actual experiences and expectations with regard to using remote therapy and participants’ anxiety related to COVID-19. Participants reported that psychotherapy delivered via phone or video call was not entirely comparable to in-person sessions. Psychodynamic and humanistic therapists reported significantly higher comparability of phone-based therapy to in-person therapy relative to behavioral therapists. Participants reported that on average, their actual experiences with teletherapy were significantly better than they had expected. Therapists also rated psychotherapy via videoconferencing significantly more positively than psychotherapy via telephone. Overall, the study provides important insights on psychotherapists’ experiences with delivering remote therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.