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Web-based tools applied to therapy and counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A.R. Dores*
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Neuropsychophysiology (fpceup); Center For Rehabilitation Research (ess-p.porto), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences; School of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
A. Geraldo
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Porto, Portugal
I. Carvalho
Affiliation:
Clinical Neurosciences And Mental Health And Cintesis, School of Medicine, University of Porto,, Porto, Portugal
F. Barbosa
Affiliation:
Laboratory Of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Porto, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Web-based tools allowed the provision of psychological counseling and therapy at-distance during the COVID-19 lockdown. Nevertheless, psychologists’ attitudes towards the adoption of these tools and its impact in their professional practices need to be further explored.

Objectives

The objective was to study the use of web-based tools on psychological practices before and during COVID-19 lockdown, trying to identify changes on psychologists’ professional practices related to the pandemic, as well as to explore factors that could have affected such changes.

Methods

One-hundred and eight psychologists filled-in an online survey, developed for the purposes of this study, during mandatory lockdown. The study was disseminated by mailing list, social networks, and by the Portuguese Psychologists Association.

Results

The results have shown that psychologists kept providing their services during lockdown thanks to the adoption of web-based tools. Although psychologists have recognized that additional precautions were needed for at-distance practice in comparison to in-person interventions, the experience of using IC technologies in clinical practice was described as positive, ensuring clients’ adherence with positive results. Additionally, despite psychological services were maintained on a larger scale by psychologists with more years of experience, professionals with average experience stated more favorable attitudes towards the use of web-based tools in counseling and therapy.

Conclusions

Although the implementation of ICT based practice was enforced by current circumstances, the experience that psychologists gathered and shared during the lockdown can guide future professional practice, improving and fostering the replication of best practices at distance.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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