Driven to teletherapy

Abstract

The author reviews the emotional effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic on adults and children as they cooperate to combat the risk of infection by agreeing to social isolation. Confined to their homes, patients and therapists alike must deal with reactions to stress and pressure to adapt to changes in their domestic routines and school or work settings. The author then reviews the accommodations and innovations psychoanalytic mental health professionals in particular are developing when suddenly required to move their work completely online to provide continuity of care. She reviews the fears and anxieties expressed by therapists and analysts, makes suggestions for their self-care, and offers practical advice for making the necessary adjustments to provide competent, ethical teleanalysis and teletherapy under emergency conditions. She concludes by asking what impact the current learning about telemental health will have on the future of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.