Abstract

PIETA, Maria Adélia Minghelli; SIEGMUND, Gerson; GOMES, William B.  and  GAUER, Gustavo. Development of protocols for monitoring psychotherapy over the Internet. Contextos Clínic [online]. 2015, vol.8, n.2, pp. 128-140. ISSN 1983-3482.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4013/ctc.2015.82.02.

Psychotherapy over the Internet is allowed to psychologists in Brazil only in the form of research. The aims of the present study were: (a) to present two protocols for monitoring psychotherapy over the Internet developed at the Psychology Post Graduate Programme at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. In Study I, 8 psychologists offered 12 sessions of psychoanalytic psychotherapy to 24 patients: (n = 12) via Skype (n = 12) face-to-face. High scores in the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) and significant decrease in the scores of the Outcome Questionnaire (Q-45) were observed in both groups, indicating a strong therapeutic alliance and positive results in both types of treatment. The topics defined in the thematic analysis on the semi-structured interviews and focus group - presence, confidence, connection, understanding and participation of the patient - showed a positive online therapeutic relationship in the perception of therapists and patients. In Study II, individuals (n = 21) who received a computerized cognitive behavioral intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were satisfied with the program and showed a decrease in scores in the obsessive section of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y -BOCS). It was also found a statistically significant difference in subjective symptoms of OCD scale, with observed decrease between modules 1 and 2 and 2 and 3 of the program. The conclusion is that Studies I and II indicate possibilities on how online psychotherapy can be offered in Brazil and the results that can be expected.

Keywords : psychotherapy; treatment; Internet; outcomes.

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