Abstract

AZCONA, Maximiliano et al. Telepsychotherapy during Covid-19: Repercussions of training and sector of employment of therapists. Psicol. clin. [online]. 2022, vol.34, n.1, pp. 169-188. ISSN 0103-5665.  http://dx.doi.org/10.33208/PC1980-5438v0034n01A08.

This study aims to characterize the practice of remote therapy as provided by psychologists and psychiatrists during the first months of preventive and compulsory social isolation (ASPO) due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the city of La Plata and its surroundings (Buenos Aires, Argentina). To that end, a non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample consisted of 247 psychologists and psychiatrists from the public or private sector, who answered a self-administered questionnaire made up of 31 items, between September and October 2020. This paper presents and discusses partial results regarding the use of remote assistance and training in telepsychotherapy. The results show that the different work environments (public or private) are associated with the professional assessment of remote psychotherapy. Therapists who work in the private sector perceive, in a higher percentage than those who work in the public sector, none or little difference between in-person therapy and remote therapy. In relation to the return to face-to-face work, when it was allowed, it was observed that a higher percentage of professionals that have returned to work in the public healthcare system. Remarkably, no significant associations were found between telepsychotherapy training and the return to face-to-face attention, once it was allowed, or between telepsychotherapy training and the perception of treatment results (face-to-face or remote). It is concluded that approaches such as the present one allow us to record how therapists perceive the remote assistance strategies implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, and contribute to the discussion about their effectiveness in healthcare matters.

Keywords : Covid-19; telepsychotherapy; telepsychology; training; mental health.

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