Remote therapy

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Remote therapy, sometimes called telemental health applications [1] or Internet-based psychotherapy, [2] is a form of psychotherapy or related psychological practice in which a trained psychotherapist meets with a client or patient via telephone, cellular phone, the internet or other electronic media in place of or in addition to conventional face-to-face psychotherapy.

Contents

Initially, it was primarily intended a substitution for conventional, face-to-face therapy in which a client or patient is required to visit a psychotherapists office. Increasingly, however, academics are studying the use of electronic media in treatment to explore the possibility of providing novel and potentially more effective therapies.

After reviewing thirteen relevant studies, the authors of a meta-analytic review of psychotherapy mediated by remote communications technology concluded that:

Remote therapy has the potential to overcome some of the barriers to conventional psychological therapy services. Telephone-based interventions are a particularly popular research focus and as a means of therapeutic communication may confer specific advantages in terms of their widespread availability and ease of operation. However, the available evidence is limited in quantity and quality. More rigorous trials are required to confirm these preliminary estimates of effectiveness. [3]

Examples

Despite the absence of complete study, remote therapy has enjoyed growing popularity as a replacement for traditional therapy and innovative practice made possible by electronic medium. Examples include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Hailey, David; Roine, Risto; Ohinmaa, Arto (2008). "The Effectiveness of Telemental Health Applications: A Review". The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 53 (11): 769–78. doi: 10.1177/070674370805301109 . PMID   19087471. S2CID   19800383.
  2. Simon, Gregory E; Ludman, Evette J (2009). "It's time for disruptive innovation in psychotherapy". The Lancet. 374 (9690): 594–5. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61415-X. PMID   19699995. S2CID   46516049.
  3. Bee, Penny E; Bower, Peter; Lovell, Karina; Gilbody, Simon; Richards, David; Gask, Linda; Roach, Pamela (2008). "Psychotherapy mediated by remote communication technologies: A meta-analytic review". BMC Psychiatry. 8: 60. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-8-60 . PMC   2496903 . PMID   18647396.
  4. Sgt. 1st Class Adam Shaw. "Q-West Chaplains Introduce Video Teleconference Counseling for Couples". WWW.ARMY.MIL (The Official Homepage of The United States Army). Retrieved June 15, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "AbleTo's offerings".
  6. "At-Home, Internet-Enabled Therapy Sessions Enhance Access to Cognitive Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, Leading to High Levels of Patient and Therapist Satisfaction".
  7. "What is digital health technology and what can it do for me?". NIHR Evidence.