Face-to-Face and Online Psychotherapy
Marco Vicentini
Until 2020, the use of virtual tools for psychotherapy sessions faced criticism within the Italian healthcare context, despite clinical and research evidence demonstrating substantial efficacy in treating major anxiety and mood disorders. The social distancing measures introduced with COVID-19 forced most psychologists to engage — both as practitioners and clients — with interpersonal and clinical interactions via videoconferencing tools. Nowadays, a growing body of evidence indicates that patients benefit significantly from psychotherapy delivered (even) online.
Despite these findings, clinicians often perceive synchronous online communication as a less optimal or limiting form of interaction and currently favour traditional face-to-face sessions over remote options. This preference may stem from a dichotomous evaluation of presence in psychotherapy, but it could also be related to cognitive and attentional fatigue experienced from extensive use of video conferencing systems. So-called Zoom-fatigue reinforces the preference for physical presence in therapeutic settings. To date, no study has analysed the videoconference fatigue typical of one-to-one psychotherapy sessions. The present study explores the challenges and potential strategies related to decision-making and attentional processes in adult online psychotherapy settings.
Keywords
Online, Adult psychotherapy, Virtual presence, Zoom fatigue, Videoconference.
