Loading...
Mental healthcare goes online: Practitioners' experiences of providing mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic
Feijt,M. de Kort,Y. Bongers,I. M. B. Bierbooms,J. J. P. A. Westerink,J. IJsselsteijn,W.
Feijt,M.
de Kort,Y.
Bongers,I. M. B.
Bierbooms,J. J. P. A.
Westerink,J.
IJsselsteijn,W.
Abstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated sudden and radical changes in mental health care delivery, as strict social distancing and lockdown measures were imposed in the early phases of the pandemic. Almost overnight, practitioners were forced to transfer their face-to-face care practice to online means. To understand the implications of this drastic change for mental health care, and to improve the online care offerings, an online qualitative survey was held among mental health care professionals in Netherlands (n = 51). Our findings indicate that technological and usability problems pose a significant challenge, as do difficulties to establish rapport with clients. Moreover, not all mental health issues and treatment forms are equally amenable to online interaction. In contrast, in many instances, practitioners were positive about the effectiveness of treatment, and reported flexibility, a lower threshold for contact, and lack of travel time as advantages. Their most prominent needs concern better technological, organizational, and logistical support. It is critical that these needs are acted upon by institutions and governments. In addition, current results inform future research on the improvement of e-mental health technologies.
Description
Funding Information: This study was supported by the Dutch Research Council grant number 055.16.141, project title Psychosocial Games Supporting Mental Health Professionals in Stress Reduction and Empathic Interactions in Remote/online Psychotherapy, under the Serious Games for Professional Skills Program.
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Files
Loading...
2020_11_27_Feijt_M..pdf
Adobe PDF, 175.31 KB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
COVID-19, e-health, mental health care, online psychological treatment, practitioners' experiences, teletherapy
Citation
Feijt, M, de Kort, Y, Bongers, I M B, Bierbooms, J J P A, Westerink, J & IJsselsteijn, W 2020, 'Mental healthcare goes online : Practitioners' experiences of providing mental healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic', Cyberpsychology behavior and social networking, vol. 23, no. 12, pp. 860-864. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0370