Telehealth Technology Competency and Difficulties in the Therapeutic Process

Abstract

Background Telehealth therapy services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and have the potential to shape service provision in the future. The growing body of research on telehealth services provides evidence of the efficacy of such services and the possibility for greater accessibility of counseling services for hard-to-reach clients. However, less is known regarding 2 unique processes of engaging in telehealth services, which are telehealth difficulties and perceived therapist telehealth competency. Objective This study examines the factor structure of the following 2 new measures: the Telehealth Difficulties Scale and the Therapist Telehealth Competency Scale. Methods Exploratory factor analyses were used with 223 participants who used telehealth services. Following this validation, these measures were tested with their association with the therapeutic alliance and therapy productiveness among clients of telehealth services using linear regressions. Results The study found that both measures had a one-factor structure and predicted therapeutic alliance scores. In addition, telehealth competency predicted therapy productiveness. Conclusions The implications for these results are discussed, and future directions are given. Conflict of Interest None declared.