Patients' and Psychotherapists' Evaluation of Remote Psychotherapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Can We Learn for Future Extraordinary Circumstances and Public Health Emergencies?

Abstract

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychotherapists and patients experienced a rapid, unplanned transition from face-to-face to remote therapy. Understanding their experiences with this transition may help inform the implementation of remote psychotherapy during future extraordinary circumstances and public health emergencies.

Aim

We aimed to investigate patients' and therapists' expectations, therapeutic relationship and overall satisfaction with remote therapy compared to face-to-face therapy during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

Eighty-three patients and 32 psychotherapists at a university cognitive behavioural therapy outpatient clinic filled out a handwritten survey, including Likert scales and open questions regarding the aspects listed above.

Results

Overall, patients had optimistic expectations, appraised the therapeutic relationship positively and were mostly ‘very satisfied’ with remote therapy, regardless of whether they received telephone or video therapy (ps ≥ 0.121). Therapists were more critical in terms of expectations, satisfaction and their appraisal of the therapeutic relationship, especially for telephone compared to video therapy (ps ≤ 0.015).

Discussion

Remote psychotherapy offers a viable substitution to face-to-face therapy in the context of extraordinary circumstances and public health emergencies. Patients were overall satisfied with remote therapy forms and felt like they were in good hands with their therapists.

Implication

The more critical appraisal from therapists highlights the need for adapted intervention techniques and specific training for delivering remote therapy.