Therapists' experiences of providing online counselling: A qualitative study

Abstract

AbstractTechnology‐delivered psychological interventions, particularly online and telephonic counselling, have flourished in recent years, with the need for such a flexible delivery method increasing due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. While empirical research on technology‐delivered psychological interventions is limited, findings indicate that therapists have a positive attitude towards online counselling. There is a particular lack of research on therapists' perceptions and experiences of using technology‐delivered interventions. The primary aim of this study was to explore therapists' experiences of providing online counselling, thereby gaining insight into the therapeutic experience, processes and efficacy from the therapists' perspective. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with five therapists, registered with organisations providing professional counselling and psychotherapy, with experience of providing synchronous/real‐time online video, audio or chat‐mediated counselling sessions. The interviews comprised open‐ended questions. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the data, through which two superordinate themes were identified: (a) environmental adaptation and (b) practice enhancement. Our findings suggest that therapists’ online counselling experiences incorporate several factors related to environmental adaptation and practice enhancement that impact the therapeutic process, outcomes, progress and relationship. The findings could inform the development of training, awareness‐raising and skills‐enhanced interventions for psychotherapists already using and hoping to use online therapeutic interventions.