Couple teletherapy in the era of COVID ‐19: Experiences and recommendations

AbstractThe unprecedented times of the novel Coronavirus quarantine and subsequent stay ‐at‐home orders have changed the way many couple therapists provide clinical services. Understanding couple therapists’ experiences with teletherapy is important for optimizing future telehealth delivery with couples. Thus, the purpose of this mixed methods survey study was to explore couple t herapists’ experiences of transitioning from in‐person/traditional therapy to online/telehealth delivery. A total of 58 couple therapists completed an online survey for this study. Reported are both quantitative and qualitative findings. Overall, this study found that couple therapists experienc ed a positive shift from traditional/in‐person therapy to online/telehealth therapy, with a majority of couple therapists (74%) reporting they would continue providing teletherapy after the novel Coronavirus pandemic and social distancing regulations had ended. Thematic analysis was used to identi fy themes from couple therapists’ experiences related to advantages, challenges, and recommendations for practice. Implications for clinical training and future research are discussed.
Source: Journal of Marital and Family Therapy - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research