Telephone counseling

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Telephone counseling
Other namestelephone-based therapy, telephone-delivered therapy, telephone therapy, telephone psychotherapy, telephone-administered psychotherapy, telephone-delivered psychological interventions

Telephone counseling (also known as telephone therapy, telephone-based or telephone-delivered psychological treatment) refers to the use of the telephone to deliver any type of psychological treatment or therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy) for mental health difficulties (like depression, anxiety). Telephone therapy can be as effective as traditional, face-to-face therapy. Along with online therapy, it is a type of telepsychology service. In telephone-based therapy, there is verbal communication, but no non-verbal communication which is present in video calls, for example.

Contents

Effectiveness

Psychological treatment delivered through the telephone can be as effective for adults with depression or anxiety as face-to-face therapy. [1] [2] For adults with depression, telephone therapy can even be more effective than traditional therapy. [1] [3] For adults with anxiety, telephone-based treatment can be more effective than having to be on a waitlist before receiving treatment. [4] For telephone therapy to remain effective and accepted, it is important for practitioners to continue professional development. This maintains the confidence in both individual and collective ability to deliver treatment over the telephone. [5] [6]

Advantages

Compared to in-person therapy, telephone-delivered psychological treatment might offer significant advantages to some people. By removing the need for the practitioner and their client to be in the same space, telephone-delivered therapy improves flexibility of the sessions, and makes treatment more accessible for people unable to travel because of illness, financial or time constraints. [7] [8] [5] By making treatment available in the privacy of one’s own home, it also provides a degree of anonymity that is comforting to some people. This may reduce the concerns about the stigma that some people may feel relating to mental health and seeking treatment with a traditional in-person therapist. [5] [1] [9]

Disadvantages

In psychological treatment the therapeutic relationship (also called the therapeutic alliance) between practitioner and their patient is seen as a central mechanism of change and improvement in symptoms. [10] Some practitioners have raised concerns that the use of telephone may hamper the quality of this relationship. [11] [6] However there seems to be no differences between telephone and face-to-face psychological treatment in the quality of the relationship formed [12] and both are effective ways of delivering therapy. [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Castro, Adoración; Gili, Margalida; Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Roca, Miquel; Gilbody, Simon; Perez-Ara, Maria Ángeles; Seguí, Andrea; McMillan, Dean (17 September 2019). "Effectiveness and adherence of telephone-administered psychotherapy for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Journal of Affective Disorders. 260: 514–526. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.09.023. hdl: 20.500.13003/18707 . PMID   31539688.
  2. 1 2 Krzyzaniak, Natalia; Greenwood, Hannah; Scott, Anna M; Peiris, Ruwani; Cardona, Magnolia; Clark, Justin; Glasziou, Paul (2024-12-03). "The effectiveness of telehealth versus face-to face interventions for anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis" . Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 30 (2): 250–261. doi:10.1177/1357633X211053738. ISSN   1357-633X. PMID   34860613.
  3. Mohr, David C.; Vella, Lea; Hart, Stacey; Heckman, Timothy; Simon, Gregory (21 August 2008). "The effect of telephone-administered psychotherapy on symptoms of depression and attrition: A meta-analysis". Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 15 (3): 243–253. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2008.00134.x. ISSN   1468-2850. PMC   3045729 . PMID   21369344.
  4. Coughtrey, Anna E; Pistrang, Nancy (30 December 2016). "The effectiveness of telephone-delivered psychological therapies for depression and anxiety: A systematic review" . Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 24 (2): 65–74. doi:10.1177/1357633X16686547. ISSN   1357-633X.
  5. 1 2 3 Rushton, Kelly; Ardern, Kerry; Hopkin, Elinor; Welsh, Charlotte; Gellatly, Judith; Faija, Cintia; Armitage, Christopher J.; Lidbetter, Nicky; Lovell, Karina; Bower, Peter; Bee, Penny (7 April 2020). "'I didn't know what to expect': Exploring patient perspectives to identify targets for change to improve telephone-delivered psychological interventions". BMC Psychiatry. 20 (1): 156. doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02564-6 . ISSN   1471-244X. PMC   7137505 . PMID   32264865.
  6. 1 2 Faija, Cintia L.; Connell, Janice; Welsh, Charlotte; Ardern, Kerry; Hopkin, Elinor; Gellatly, Judith; Rushton, Kelly; Fraser, Claire; Irvine, Annie; Armitage, Christopher J.; Wilson, Paul; Bower, Peter; Lovell, Karina; Bee, Penny (16 July 2020). "What influences practitioners' readiness to deliver psychological interventions by telephone? A qualitative study of behaviour change using the Theoretical Domains Framework". BMC Psychiatry. 20 (1): 371. doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02761-3 . ISSN   1471-244X. PMC   7364130 . PMID   32677917.
  7. Mohr, David C.; Ho, Joyce; Duffecy, Jenna; Baron, Kelly G.; Lehman, Kenneth A.; Jin, Ling; Reifler, Douglas (1 February 2010). "Perceived barriers to psychological treatments and their relationship to depression". Journal of Clinical Psychology. 66 (4): 394–409. doi:10.1002/jclp.20659. ISSN   0021-9762. PMC   2907887 . PMID   20127795.
  8. Varker, Tracey; Brand, Rachel M.; Ward, Janine; Terhaag, Sonia; Phelps, Andrea (November 2019). "Efficacy of synchronous telepsychology interventions for people with anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder: A rapid evidence assessment" . Psychological Services. 16 (4): 621–635. doi:10.1037/ser0000239. ISSN   1939-148X. PMID   29809025.
  9. Bee, Penny Elizabeth; Lovell, Karina; Lidbetter, Nicola; Easton, Katherine; Gask, Linda (15 July 2010). "You can't get anything perfect: "User perspectives on the delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy by telephone"" . Social Science & Medicine. 71 (7): 1308–1315. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.06.031. PMID   20675026.
  10. Baier, Allison L.; Kline, Alexander C.; Feeny, Norah C. (14 October 2020). "Therapeutic alliance as a mediator of change: A systematic review and evaluation of research" . Clinical Psychology Review. 82: 101921. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101921. PMID   33069096.
  11. Turner, J.; Brown, J. C.; Carpenter, D. T. (8 November 2017). "Telephone-based CBT and the therapeutic relationship: The views and experiences of IAPT practitioners in a low-intensity service" . Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 25 (5–6): 285–296. doi:10.1111/jpm.12440. ISSN   1351-0126. PMID   29117458.
  12. Irvine, Annie; Drew, Paul; Bower, Peter; Brooks, Helen; Gellatly, Judith; Armitage, Christopher J.; Barkham, Michael; McMillan, Dean; Bee, Penny (21 January 2020). "Are there interactional differences between telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy? A systematic review of comparative studies". Journal of Affective Disorders. 265: 120–131. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.057. PMC   7049904 . PMID   32090733.