Abstract
Objective. A systematic review was conducted to provide clinicians, patients, professional organizations, and researchers with an understanding of the benefits and challenges of conducting psychotherapy via telehealth. Furthermore, this review examined the implications of these benefits and challenges to provide recommendations for practice. Methods. Data was collected from three electronic databases, including quantitative peer-reviewed, English-language articles published between 2018 and 2023, studying adult participants engaging in synchronous psychotherapy. A narrative synthesis was used to integrate the data. Results. Findings from 35 studies included 91.4% demonstrating benefits and 22.9% challenges. Key benefits included clinical effectiveness, a strong therapeutic alliance, and high patient satisfaction. Common challenges were negative perceptions and expectations about clinical efficacy, the therapeutic relationship, and insufficient telehealth training. The findings suggest that telehealth psychotherapy is a viable format likely to persist beyond the pandemic and become a standard practice, improving access to care. Conclusions. The continued use of telehealth psychotherapy beyond the pandemic is supported by research evidence indicating that it is clinically comparable to in-person treatment in terms of effectiveness and therapeutic alliance. This review aligns with other recent systematic reviews and offers recommendations for stakeholders to enhance the telehealth psychotherapy experience.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Medical telematics; Psychotherapy
Date of Award
2024
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Psychology
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Dennis Lowe
Recommended Citation
Scarlata, Michael, "The benefits and challenges of conducting individual video-based telehealth psychotherapy with adults: a systematic review" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1538.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1538
