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Abstract:
The
possibilities of the internet are increasingly discovered and explored also
for the area of psychotherapeutic care. With this in mind a qualitative
survey was carried out among 22 patients in ambulatory care (50% women) in
order to find out how they experienced the offer of an “internet-based
psychotherapy”. The participants mainly suffered from depression and fears,
had mostly found the therapist via the Internet, and the majority had a high
level of education.
The
“internet-based psychotherapy”, as an addition to the classic offers
(Freudian psychotherapy and behaviour therapy), opened up the possibility to
send feedback or short concerns to the therapist in between the regular
treatments – usually double session on a bi-weekly basis. Additionally, the
extensive therapist’s webpage was integrated into the treatment as a means
of ‘psycho-education’. All of the patients gave positive feedback and
stressed the following advantages of an internet-based psychotherapy:
an easy and
anonymous way of making contact, creating a ‘relationship’ and building up
trust even before the first meeting, the feeling of not being left alone
even in between sessions, the possibility to quickly communicate and to get
feedback in case of a difficult situation, better motivation between the
sessions, many advantages connected to the process of writing itself (more
precise wording, the possibility to read again and check, communication in a
relaxed and more anonymous state, more emphasis laid on and better
recollection of written messages, a convenient way of communicating for
verbally reserved people, documentation of one’s own development),
efficiency (less travelling, intensive long-distance care, lower risk of
relapse, optimizing of sessions by way of preparation and follow up, less
duration of the therapy) as well as flexibility concerning time and place.
The experiences of the therapist showed that internet-based psychotherapy
leads to faster and more stable results. While patients and insurances
profit from this practice economically, the therapist has so far been
offering this service free of charge which ultimately obstructs this
innovative approach or demands highly creative solutions when it comes to
billing. |
