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Are there interactional differences between telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy? A systematic review of comparative studies
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Despite comparable clinical outcomes, therapists and patients express reservations about the delivery of psychological therapy by telephone. These concerns centre around the quality of the therapeutic relationship and the ability to exercise professional skill and judgement in the absence of visual cues. However, the empirical evidence base for such perceptions has not been clearly established. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to establish what is known empirically about interactional differences between psychotherapeutic encounters conducted face-to-face vs. by telephone. RESULTS: The review identified 15 studies that used situated, comparative approaches to exploring interactional aspects of telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy. These studies revealed evidence of little difference between modes in terms of therapeutic alliance, disclosure, empathy, attentiveness or participation. However, telephone therapy sessions were significantly shorter than those conducted face-to-face. LIMITATIONS: We identified only a small number of heterogeneous studies, many of which used non-randomised, opportunity samples and did not use validated measures to assess the constructs under investigation. Disparate therapeutic modalities were used across studies and samples included both clinically diagnosed and non-clinical populations. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence suggests a lack of support for the viewpoint that the telephone has a detrimental effect on interactional aspects of psychological therapy. The challenge for clinical practice is to translate this evidence into a change in practitioner and patient attitudes and behaviours. In order to do so, it is important to understand and address the breadth of factors that underpin ongoing ambivalence towards the telephone mode, which pose a barrier to wider implementation.
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“Despite sporicidal skepticism, the good therapeutic relationship reported in our and earlier studies (Bee et al., 2010; Haller et al., 2019) is in line with studies reporting no difference in therapeutic relationship in telephone- or face-to-face therapy (Irvine et al., 2020; Stiles-Shields et al., 2014).”
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Cites
PRISMA-P Group, Moher, D., Shamseer, L., Clarke, M., Ghersi, D., Liberati, A., Petticrew, M., Shekelle, P., & Stewart, L. A. (2015) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/2046-4053-4-1 · Cited by 26,223 · cited 2×
“The paper followed the PRISMA guidelines for reporting of systematic reviews and metaanalyses (Moher et al., 2015).”
MethodThe American Psychological Association
Langfeld, H. S. (1919) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.49.1254.51 · Cited by 7,453
Development and validation of the working alliance inventory
Horvath, A. O., & Greenberg, L. S. (1989) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-0167.36.2.223 · Cited by 3,520 · cited 2×
“, 2014) considered patient and/or therapist ratings of therapeutic alliance across telephone and face-to-face therapy sessions, using versions of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI; Horvath and Greenberg, 1989).”
MethodThe Effectiveness of Telemental Health: A 2013 Review
Hilty, D. M., Ferrer, D. C., Parish, M. B., Johnston, B., Callahan, E. J., & Yellowlees, P. M. (2013) · Telemedicine and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2013.0075 · Cited by 1,048 · cited 1×
“These various modes, sometimes referred to collectively as „telemental health‟ or „telepsychology‟ (e.g. American Psychological Association, 2013; Hilty et al., 2013; Langarizadeh at al., 2016), include telephone, videoconference, email, text message and web-based interventions, alongside the traditional face-to-face…”
BackgroundReducing Patients’ Unmet Concerns in Primary Care: the Difference One Word Can Make
Heritage, J., Robinson, J. D., Elliott, M. N., Beckett, M. K., & Wilkes, M. S. (2007) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-007-0279-0 · Cited by 436
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“The method of Conversation Analysis (CA) offers a proven method for adding understanding to the interactional processes of clinical encounters (Drew et al., 2001; Heritage and Maynard, 2006; Heritage and Robinson, 2006; Perakyla et al., 2008; Robinson, 2003; Robinson and Heritage, 2006).”
MethodThe Social Impact of the Telephone
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Conversation Analysis and Psychotherapy
Peräkylä, A., Antaki, C., Vehviläinen, S., & Leudar, I. (2008) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511490002 · Cited by 376 · cited 1×
“The method of Conversation Analysis (CA) offers a proven method for adding understanding to the interactional processes of clinical encounters (Drew et al., 2001; Heritage and Maynard, 2006; Heritage and Robinson, 2006; Perakyla et al., 2008; Robinson, 2003; Robinson and Heritage, 2006).”
MethodDrew, P., Chatwin, J., & Collins, S. L. (2001) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1046/j.1369-6513.2001.00125.x · Cited by 367 · cited 1×
“The method of Conversation Analysis (CA) offers a proven method for adding understanding to the interactional processes of clinical encounters (Drew et al., 2001; Heritage and Maynard, 2006; Heritage and Robinson, 2006; Perakyla et al., 2008; Robinson, 2003; Robinson and Heritage, 2006).”
Method
Flagged first, then by citations
7 of the 80 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 7
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Rauschenberg, C., Schick, A., Hirjak, D., Seidler, A., Paetzold, I., Apfelbacher, C., Riedel-Heller, S. G., & Reininghaus, U. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/23365 · Cited by 205
“…that use videoconference tools or the telephone has also been well documented in depressive [80-83], anxiety [80,83-85], and psychotic disorders [86], with comparable effects for online group and individual therapy sessions [87,88], compared with conventional (offline) therapy sessions.”
BackgroundResearch priorities for the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological science
O'Connor, D. B., Aggleton, J. P., Chakrabarti, B., Cooper, C. L., Creswell, C., Dunsmuir, S., Fiske, S. T., Gathercole, S., Gough, B., Ireland, J. L., et al. (2020) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjop.12468 · Cited by 210
“Psychological therapies and behaviour change interventions can already be delivered remotely and evidence suggests that remote delivery does not necessarily mean inferior delivery (e.g., Irvine et al. , 2020).”
BackgroundPsychological Intervention and COVID-19: What We Know So Far and What We Can Do
Inchausti, F., MacBeth, A. M., Hasson‐Ohayon, I., & Dimaggio, G. (2020) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1007/s10879-020-09460-w · Cited by 170
Alkureishi, M. A., Choo, Z.-Y., Rahman, A., Ho, K., Benning-Shorb, J., Lenti, G., Velázquez Sánchez, I., Zhu, M., Shah, S. D., & Lee, W. W. (2021) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/33364 · Cited by 143
“In studies with seniors and in mental health settings, audio-only phone visits were as effective as video in resolving urgent and nonemergent needs [90,91].”
BackgroundRosen, C. S., Morland, L. A., Glassman, L. H., Marx, B. P., Weaver, K. R., Smith, C. A., Pollack, S. J., & Schnurr, P. P. (2020) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/amp0000751 · Cited by 119
“A recent review suggests that therapeutic alliance and process factors in telephone therapy tend to be similar to in-person psychotherapy (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundWitte, N. A. J. D., Carlbring, P., Etzelmueller, A., Nordgreen, T., Karekla, M., Haddouk, L., Belmont, A., Øverland, S., Abi‐Habib, R., Bernaerts, S., et al. (2021) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2021.100405 · Cited by 112
“Such concerns are not new (e.g., Stallard et al., 2010), but accumulating evidence shows the relevance of the therapeutic relationship in e-mental health (Kaiser et al., 2021) and suggests the equivalence of relational aspects in different modes of delivery (Irvine et al., 2020).”
Giovanetti, A. K., Punt, S. E. W., Nelson, E., & Ilardi, S. S. (2022) · Telemedicine Journal and e-Health · doi:10.1089/tmj.2021.0294 · Cited by 97
“In addition, because telephone-based psychotherapy may also be efficacious for a subset of depressed patients, 54 there is a need for future research to inform which specific telehealth delivery modality (e.g., telephone or video) represents the best fit for each individual.”
The impact of eHealth on relationships and trust in primary care: a review of reviews
Ramachandran, M., Brinton, C. G., Wiljer, D., Upshur, R. E. G., & Gray, C. S. (2023) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/s12875-023-02176-5 · Cited by 102
“Patient perceptions, expectations, motives, and concerns were the most reported factors influencing relationships and trust (18 reviews), particularly in reviews focusing on management and communication systems.”
BackgroundLa Psicología Clínica ante la Pandemia COVID-19 en España
Inchausti, F., García‐Poveda, N. V., Prado-Abril, J., & Sánchez-Reales, S. (2020) · Clínica y Salud · doi:10.5093/clysa2020a11 · Cited by 77
Probst, T., Haid, B., Schimböck, W., Reisinger, A., Gasser, M., Eichberger-Heckmann, H., Stippl, P., Jesser, A., Humer, E. C., Korecka, N., et al. (2021) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2553 · Cited by 51
“With regard to the comparability of remote and in-person treatment, most of the previous studies focused either on the outcome (e.g., Carlbring et al., 2018; Castro et al., 2020) or the therapeutic alliance (e.g., Irvine et al., 2020; Norwood et al., 2018).”
BackgroundResultTelepsychotherapy in the age of COVID-19: A commentary.
Inchausti, F., MacBeth, A. M., Hasson‐Ohayon, I., & Dimaggio, G. (2020) · Journal of Psychotherapy Integration · doi:10.1037/int0000222 · Cited by 62
“This is consistent with existing evidence that phone and internet enabled psychological interventions are clinically effective in a wide variety of mental disorders (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundProvider Perceptions of Virtual Care During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Connolly, S. L., Gifford, A. L., Miller, C. J., Bauer, M. S., Lehmann, L. S., & Charness, M. E. (2021) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/mlr.0000000000001562 · Cited by 39
The barriers, benefits and training needs of clinicians delivering psychological therapy via video
Buckman, J. E. J., Saunders, R., Leibowitz, J., & Minton, R. (2021) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465821000187 · Cited by 46
“…cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) delivered face-to-face and via telephone has demonstrated similar levels of efficacy between intervention modes (Irvine et al ., 2020; Mohr et al ., 2012), and trials of internet-delivered (CBT) or video-delivered CBT have demonstrated better efficacy and…”
Zhang, Y., Wang, S., Ding, W., Meng, Y., Hu, H., Liu, Z., Zeng, X., Guan, Y., & Wang, M. (2020) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110253 · Cited by 43
“However, some studies concerned that non-face-to-face psychological interventions might have defects in reliability and individualized treatment [40,44].”
Fritz, J. M., Davis, A. F., Burgess, D. J., Coleman, B. C., Cook, C. E., Farrokhi, S., Goertz, C., Heapy, A. A., Lisi, A. J., McGeary, D. D., et al. (2020) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002139 · Cited by 40
Venville, A., O’Connor, S., Roeschlein, H., Ennals, P., McLoughlan, G., & Thomas, N. (2021) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/29671 · Cited by 38
Maldonato, M. N., Bottone, M., Chiodi, A., Continisio, G. I., Falco, R. D., Duval, M., Muzii, B., Siani, G., Valerio, P., Vitelli, R., et al. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12104244 · Cited by 35
“Importantly, a recent systematic review reported that no scientific evidence was found demonstrating that clinical interviews conducted by telephone have a negative effect on the interactional aspects on which vis-à-vis psychotherapies are based, thus supporting their effectiveness [22].”
BackgroundWyler, H., Liebrenz, M., Ajdacic‐Gross, V., Seifritz, E., Young, S., Burger, P. H. M., & Buadze, A. (2021) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03236-9 · Cited by 37
From Therapy to Teletherapy: Relocating Mental Health Services Online
Yamamoto, F. R., Voida, A., & Voida, S. (2021) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3479508 · Cited by 43
“Some researchers suggest that clients may value the anonymity provided by phone sessions, even if it results in a loss of nonverbal cues [20, 39, 45, 45].”
BackgroundFaija, C., Connell, J., Welsh, C., Ardern, K., Hopkin, E., Gellatly, J. L., Rushton, K., Fraser, C., Irvine, A. L., Armitage, C. J., et al. (2020) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02761-3 · Cited by 33
“on the interactional aspects of psychological therapy when compared to face-to-face-delivery [23].”
BackgroundVillarreal‐Zegarra, D., Alarcon-Ruiz, C. A., Meléndez‐Torres, G. J., Torres-Puente, R., Navarro‐Flores, A., Cavero, V., Ambrosio-Melgarejo, J. I., Rojas-Vargas, J., Almeida-Huanca, G., Albitres‐Flores, L., et al. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/34760 · Cited by 33
“Finally, during communications where there is no video of the patient, as in telephone therapy, silences during the patients’ speech were more challenging to interpret [36].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialShifting a training clinic to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: a trainee perspective
Scharff, A., Breiner, C. E., Ueno, L. F., Underwood, S. B., Merritt, E. C., Welch, L. M., Fonda, C., Malatras, J. W., Lin, B., Hormes, J. M., et al. (2020) · Counselling Psychology Quarterly · doi:10.1080/09515070.2020.1786668 · Cited by 32
“While evidence suggests that therapeutic alliance quality, empathy, and participation in teletherapy are comparable to in-person treatment (Irvine et al., 2020), trainees found it difficult at times to go without non-verbal cues that can be essential in assessing client well-being and psychotherapy…”
BackgroundResearch in counselling and psychotherapy Post‐COVID‐19
Bell, C. A., Crabtree, S. A., Hall, E. L., & Sandage, S. J. (2020) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12334 · Cited by 31
“The impact of telemental health on client–clinician relationships has received attention previously (Irvine et al., 2020; Reese et al., 2016); however, COVID-19 forced psychotherapists to abruptly adopt telemental health modalities with little or no training, and the effects of this on clients and…”
BackgroundDigital Interventions for Psychological Comorbidities in Chronic Diseases—A Systematic Review
Maisto, M., Diana, B., Di Tella, S., Matamala-Gomez, M., Montana, J. I., Rossetto, F., Mavrodiev, P. A., Cavalera, C., Blasi, V., Mantovani, F., et al. (2021) · Journal of Personalized Medicine · doi:10.3390/jpm11010030 · Cited by 30
Ford, J., & Reuber, M. (2023) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2023.2201733 · Cited by 29
“This is in line with an earlier review of comparative studies of therapy interaction, which concluded that, apart from duration, there was “a lack of support for arguments that the telephone has a detrimental effect on interactional aspects of psychological therapy” (Irvine et al., 2020, p. 129).”
ResultTelehealth use by mental health professionals during COVID-19
Farrer, L. M., Clough, B. A., Bekker, M. J., Calear, A. L., Werner‐Seidler, A., Newby, J. M., Knott, V. E., Gooding, P., Reynolds, J., Brennan, L., et al. (2022) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/00048674221089229 · Cited by 27
Mattocks, K. M., Moore, D. T., Wischik, D. L., Lazar, C. M., & Rosen, M. I. (2022) · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment · doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108777 · Cited by 24
“, 2020) and via telephone (Castro et al., 2020; Irvine et al., 2020) have shown high rates of efficacy as well as patient and provider acceptance.”
Putting a face to a name: Telephone contact as part of a blended approach to probation supervision
Dominey, J., Coley, D., Devitt, K. E., & Lawrence, J. (2021) · Probation Journal · doi:10.1177/02645505211050870 · Cited by 21
“However, while the telephone is used in areas such as psychotherapy and primary health care (Irvine et al., 2020; McFarland et al., 2021), it is infrequently employed as part of probation supervision and often linked with approaches intended to save money rather than enhance service provision.”
BackgroundBurton, A., Rapaport, P., Palomo, M., Lord, K., Budgett, J., Barber, J., Hunter, R. M., Butler, L. T., Vickerstaff, V., Rockwood, K. J., et al. (2021) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-021-05851-z · Cited by 21
“…impacts; one review reported minimal to no difference between telephone and face-to-face therapy in terms of the nature of the interaction between the therapist and client [46], but more information will emerge as we assimilate knowledge from the sudden shift to remote delivery in spring 2020.”
BackgroundLekagul, A., Piancharoen, P., Chattong, A., Suradom, C., & Tangcharoensathien, V. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060804 · Cited by 22
Cox, C. M., MASIANO, S. P., Mazenga, A. C., Stark, M., Udedi, M. M., Simon, K., Ahmed, S., Nyasulu, P., & Kim, M. H. (2023) · Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health · doi:10.1017/gmh.2023.84 · Cited by 18
“However, reassuringly, the literature saw no change in efficacy based on the duration of sessions with phone-based support (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundΜουδάτσου, Μ., Stavropoulou, A., Rovithis, M., & Koukouli, S. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12040495 · Cited by 18
“Even though remote counseling has been used in the past, there have been few reasons to justify its integration into everyday practice, and mental health professionals were particularly cautious [1,2].”
BackgroundBudd, G., Griffiths, D., Howick, J., Vennik, J. L., Bishop, F. L., Durieux, N., & Everitt, H. (2022) · PEC Innovation · doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100065 · Cited by 18
“A recent systematic review compared telephone with face-to-face consultations [22] and found a lack of evidence that the telephone adversely impacts communication.”
Tang, L., Broad, J., Lewis, R., David, W. L., & Haines, J. (2021) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2021.02.043 · Cited by 18
Biassoni, F., & Gnerre, M. (2025) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2025.108663 · Cited by 17
Covid-19, les effets psychopathologiques de la pandémie
Joboory, S. A., Fernández, V. Á., Remingol, L., Brulin-Solignac, D., & Bouchard, J. (2020) · Soins Psychiatrie · doi:10.1016/s0241-6972(20)30119-5 · Cited by 16
Orlowski, E. W., Friedlander, M. L., Megale, A., Peterson, E. K., & Anderson, S. R. (2022) · Contemporary Family Therapy · doi:10.1007/s10591-022-09640-x · Cited by 20
“Nonetheless, some evidence suggests that strong therapeutic relationships can be built remotely (Irvine et al., 2020) and that they tend to be just as important for success in an online environment (Reese et al., 2016; Simpson et al., 2021) as they are in face-to-face CFT (cf. Friedlander et al.,…”
BackgroundZentner, K., Gaine, G. S., Ethridge, P., Surood, S., & Abba‐Aji, A. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/35535 · Cited by 15
“The literature offers comparisons of telepsychology (either telephone or video) [13,24] to in-person services, but few comparisons between telepsychology modalities.”
BackgroundVogt, K. S., Johnson, J., Conner, M. T., Armitage, C. J., & Keyworth, C. (2023) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12653 · Cited by 14
Telephone delivery of psychological interventions: Balancing protocol with patient-centred care
Drew, P., Irvine, A. L., Barkham, M., Faija, C., Gellatly, J. L., Ardern, K., Armitage, C. J., Brooks, H. L., Rushton, K., Welsh, C., et al. (2021) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113818 · Cited by 14
Honey, A., Waks, S., Hines, M., Glover, H., Hancock, N., Hamilton, D., & Smith‐Merry, J. (2021) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00871-0 · Cited by 14
Uses of Virtual Care in Primary Care: Scoping Review
Agarwal, P., Fletcher, G. G., Ramamoorthi, K., Yao, X., & Bhattacharyya, O. K. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/55007 · Cited by 17
“%) focused on psychotherapy [233,234,236]; 1 (12”
Töpfer, N. F., Wrede, N., Theurer, C., & Wilz, G. (2023) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23538 · Cited by 12
Beck, A. K., Waks, S., Argent, A., Deane, F. P., Larance, B., Manning, V., Baker, A., Hides, L. M., & Kelly, P. J. (2023) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104174 · Cited by 13
Leeming, D., Lucock, M. P., Shibazaki, K., Pilkington, N., & Scott, B. L. (2022) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-021-00932-4 · Cited by 15
“This is contrary to research suggesting no significant interactional differences between telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy (Irvine et al., 2020).”
ResultEffect of Problem-solving Treatment on Self-reported Disability Among Veterans With Gulf War Illness
McAndrew, L. M., Quigley, K. S., Lu, S., Litke, D. R., Rath, J. F., Lange, G., Santos, S. L., Anastasides, N., Petrakis, B. A., Greenberg, L. M., et al. (2022) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.45272 · Cited by 12
Thielecke, J., Buntrock, C., Freund, J., Braun, L., Ebert, D. D., Berking, M., Baumeister, H., & Titzler, I. (2023) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2023.100671 · Cited by 10
Wang, Z., Chen, X., Zhou, J., Lin, C., Luo, H., & Li, Q. (2023) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2884 · Cited by 11
Shaw, R. B., Giroux, E. E., Gainforth, H. L., McBride, C. B., Vierimaa, M., & Ginis, K. A. M. (2021) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2021.09.008 · Cited by 12
Algorithm-Based Hearing and Speech Therapy Rehabilitation after Cochlear Implantation
Eichler, T., Rötz, W., Kayser, C., Bröhl, F., Römer, M., Witteborg, A. H., Kümmert, F., Sandmeier, T., Schulte, C., Stolz, P., et al. (2022) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci12050580 · Cited by 10
“[38] found that telephone-based therapy and face-to-face therapy had no difference in effect.”
BackgroundSaunders, S. B., Santos, C. G., Rodríguez, N. M., Hermida, J. R. F., Santolaya, F. J., Fernández, J. S., & García‐Vera, M. P. (2020) · PubMed Central · Cited by 10
Case series associated with COVID‐19 pandemic in causing psychiatric morbidity
Mahapatra, A., & Sharma, P. (2021) · General Psychiatry · doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100343 · Cited by 10
Mulligan, L. D., Neil, S. T., Johnstone, M., Morris, R. K., & Swift, E. (2022) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-022-00963-5 · Cited by 10
“…& Ferguson, 2011) and treatment outcomes more generally (Martin, Garske & Davis, 2000), research has suggested that telephone interventions are commensurate in effectiveness and satisfactoriness to those delivered face-to-face (Mulligan et al., 2014; Rushton et al., 2019; Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundFlowers, K. M., Colebaugh, C. A., Hruschak, V., Azizoddin, D. R., Meints, S. M., Jamison, R. N., Wilson, J. M., Edwards, R. R., & Schreiber, K. L. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-022-09901-9 · Cited by 9
Nam, S. H., & Yang, J.-C. (2021) · Chonnam Medical Journal · doi:10.4068/cmj.2021.57.1.7 · Cited by 9
Reilly, K., Maher, M., Smith, E., Coyne, E., Murphy, S., & Wilson, C. E. (2022) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12542 · Cited by 12
Saxon, D. H., Barkham, M., Bee, P., Gellatly, J. L., Faija, C., & Bower, P. (2023) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-022-04404-1 · Cited by 8
“Although, there may be issues with the quality of the therapeutic alliance with telephone treatment, as there will be fewer non-verbal cues, this may impact more on the therapist, trained in face-to-face treatment, than the patient [13] and a systematic review conducted prior to COVID found no differences in the quali…”
BackgroundBroadbear, J. H., Heidari, P., Dharwadkar, N. P., Cheney, L., & Rao, S. (2021) · Global Journal of Health Science · doi:10.5539/gjhs.v13n12p61 · Cited by 9
“If not addressed, these limitations could undermine the development and maintenance of therapeutic relationships and impede the adoption of telehealth treatment services (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialShearsmith, L., Coventry, P. A., Sloan, C., Henry, A. F., Newbronner, E., Littlewood, E., Bailey, D., Gascoyne, S., Burke, L., Ryde, E., et al. (2023) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064694 · Cited by 8
Apego en la Práctica Clínica durante la Pandemia por COVID-19
Jiménez, L. V., & Ruiz, D. S. (2020) · Revista de Psicoterapia · doi:10.33898/rdp.v31i116.391 · Cited by 8
Santiago, V. A., Cassin, S. E., Wnuk, S., Du, C., Hawa, R., Parikh, S. V., & Sockalingam, S. (2020) · Clinical Obesity · doi:10.1111/cob.12431 · Cited by 7
“interactional differences between telephone vs face-to-face psychotherapy (eg, therapeutic alliance) found that there was little difference between the modalities.(24) However, it is unknown how bariatric patients experience the therapeutic relationship within a remotely delivered context.”
BackgroundLucock, M. P., Borthwick, R., Cupac, J., Elliott, R., Howell, R., Kendal, S., Khan, W., Sandford, D. M., & Tolley, B. (2021) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2021.1959079 · Cited by 7
“This is consistent with the Jacobson and Truax (1991) criteria for reliable and clinically significant deterioration.”
ResultYoung, D. K. W., Carlbring, P., Petrus, Y. N. N. G., & Chen, Q.-R. J. (2022) · Research on Social Work Practice · doi:10.1177/10497315221079236 · Cited by 7
“Second, the quality and professional competency of counselors delivering guided iCBT has been a primary concern (Paxling et al., 2013), and researchers wondered whether counseling competency could be demonstrated well, and would benefit participants over telephone counseling (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialKyle, S. D., Bower, P., Yu, L., Siriwardena, A. N., Yang, Y., Petrou, S., Ogburn, E., Begum, N., Maurer, L., Robinson, B., et al. (2024) · Health Technology Assessment · doi:10.3310/rjyt4275 · Cited by 11
Online mental health resources in Wuhan amid the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of social workers
Zhao, K., Tan, W., & Tsang, A. K. T. (2021) · China Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1080/17525098.2021.2006899 · Cited by 8
Velasco, E. R., Pedersen, H. S., & Skinner, T. C. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/40058 · Cited by 10
“quality of asynchronous consultations [41], as well as for the quality of the relationship developed [42].”
BackgroundRemote probation by phone in France and Scotland during the 2020 lockdown
Herzog-Evans, M., & Sturgeon, J. (2022) · European Journal of Probation · doi:10.1177/20662203211056545 · Cited by 7
“Additionally, two systematic reviews have likewise concluded that telephone only therapy is promising (Coughtrey and Pistrang, 2018) and even effective (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundArmstrong, S., Pattinson, J., Siriwardena, A. N., Kyle, S. D., Bower, P., Yu, L., Yang, Y., Ogburn, E., Begum, N., Maurer, L., et al. (2023) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp.2023.0162 · Cited by 6
“15 Some patients found calculating sleep efficiency difficult and felt that they needed help from the nurse, and nurses pointed out that helping someone with calculations over the telephone was harder than in person.”
BackgroundEliezer, K., Knei-Paz, C., Zvi, L., Schnall, I., Gitlitz, T., & Gavriel‐Fried, B. (2021) · The British Journal of Social Work · doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcab206 · Cited by 6
Maher, M., Reilly, K., Smith, E., Coyne, E., Murphy, S., & Wilson, C. E. (2022) · Counselling and Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/capr.12558 · Cited by 9
Phillip, K., Beel, N., & Machin, T. M. (2020) · Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia · doi:10.59158/001c.71253 · Cited by 8
Saunders, J., & Allen, C. (2021) · Clinical Case Studies · doi:10.1177/15346501211018278 · Cited by 6
“It could be posited that this indicates that the nature of the therapeutic alliance established in the F2F CBT sessions was carried over to t-CBT, echoing the findings of Irvine et al. (2020).”
BackgroundDay, E., & Thomas‐Anttila, K. (2021) · Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia · doi:10.59158/001c.71080 · Cited by 6
Wyler, H., Liebrenz, M., Ajdacic‐Gross, V., Seifritz, E., Young, S., Burger, P. H. M., & Buadze, A. (2020) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2020.12.11.20242511 · Cited by 6
Sun, Z., Yang, X., Wang, Y., Li, R., Zhang, Y., Li, Q., & Zhao, J. (2024) · European Journal of Oncology Nursing · doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2024.102608 · Cited by 5
Ghiretti, F., Gabriela, G., Grassi, G. M., Torricelli, L., Elena, B., Elisa, B., Francesca, B., Borelli, S., Cagnolati, F., Katia, C., et al. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.561742 · Cited by 5
“Moreover, despite the higher level of anonymity (Lester, 1977; Lester and Rogers(eds), 2012) and the shorter duration of phone sessions in comparison with usual face-to-face sessions (mean duration 32 min), the quality of the relationship established with callers was good in most cases, in line with a recent systemati…”
ResultThe Dynamics of the Social Worker-Client Relationship
Walsh, J. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197517956.001.0001 · Cited by 5
COVID-19 Adaptations for Health Service Psychology Internship Training in a Medical School
Agazzi, H. C., Najmabadi, S. J., Flood, J., Cimorelli, D., & Chenneville, T. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-021-09784-2 · Cited by 5
Cederberg, M., Fors, A., Ali, L., Goulding, A., & Mäkitalo, Å. (2022) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.13440 · Cited by 5
“closure are not as dependent on the communication mode (phone or face‐to‐face) as on other personal or interpersonal factors; some find it helpful talking about personal matters by phone, others do not.(34)”
BackgroundPark, H., Nabin, L., Lee, J. H., Lee, D., Kim, K. A., Kim, H. S., Oh, E., Ha, J. H., Hyun, S. Y., Lee, J., et al. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.834965 · Cited by 5
“Previous study reported that there is no significant difference in effectiveness between face-to-face and telephone counseling (45), but non-verbal communication restrictions can make it difficult to track the problems of patients in depth.”
BackgroundRiesco, L. R., & Senín‐Calderón, C. (2021) · Ansiedad y Estrés · doi:10.5093/anyes2022a5 · Cited by 8
“Sin embargo, este bajo uso de este tipo de recursos no significa que la terapia psicológica presencial sea una opción más eficaz y efectiva que la telepsicología (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundAndrews, G., Flood, T., & Shepherd, P. (2021) · Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice · doi:10.1017/s1460396921000613 · Cited by 5
Lalor, I., Costello, C., O'Sullivan, M., Rice, C. E., & Collins, P. (2022) · Mental Health Review Journal · doi:10.1108/mhrj-05-2022-0029 · Cited by 5
Cederberg, M., Barenfeld, E., Ali, L., Ekman, I., Goulding, A., & Fors, A. (2023) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-023-10190-7 · Cited by 4
“Moreover, the findings of the study add to prior evidence that such relational qualities are not only possible in remote settings but are sometimes even facilitated outside of the traditional health care environment [39].”
BackgroundNakimuli‐Mpungu, E., Kwesiga, J. M., Bwanika, J. M., Musinguzi, D., Nakanyike, C., Iya, J., Akimana, B., Hawkins, C., Cavazos‐Rehg, P. A., Nachega, J. B., et al. (2025) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1008155 · Cited by 3
A survey of mental health professionals in a paediatric hospital during COVID-19
Ching, B. C. F., Bennett, S. D., Heyman, I., Liang, H., Catanzano, M., Fifield, K., Berger, Z. E., Gray, S., Hewson, E., Bryon, M., et al. (2021) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13591045211033186 · Cited by 4
“Despite previous research suggesting no significant differences in how patients may experience remotely delivered psychological treatments compared to face-to-face treatments (Irvine et al., 2020), mental health professionals may perceive lower self-efficacy in remote/virtual formats compared to face-to-face work whic…”
BackgroundInfluentialCatanzano, M., Bennett, S. D., Fifield, K., Xu, L., Sanderson, C., Coughtrey, A. E., Kerry, E., Liang, H., Heyman, I., & Shafran, R. (2022) · Child Care Health and Development · doi:10.1111/cch.13051 · Cited by 4
“Of note, the intervention was primarily delivered over the telephone, yet this did not appear to interfere with the ability to establish a good therapeutic relationship, which supports previous research in remote therapy (Irvine et al., 2020).”
Assessing the delivering of i MA gery‐focused therapy for PS ychosis (i MAPS ) via telehealth
Cairns, A. J. J., KELLY, J. A., & Taylor, C. D. J. (2023) · Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1111/papt.12463 · Cited by 4
Faija, C., Connell, J., Gellatly, J. L., Rushton, K., Lovell, K., Brooks, H. L., Armitage, C. J., Bower, P., & Bee, P. (2023) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-023-04829-2 · Cited by 7
Witte, N. A. J. D., Carlbring, P., Etzelmueller, A., Nordgreen, T., Karekla, M., Haddouk, L., Belmont, A., Øverland, S., Abi‐Habib, R., Bernaerts, S., et al. (2020) · doi:10.2196/preprints.26541 · Cited by 4
Mental health practitioners’ perceptions of online working: a literature review
Roddy, J., Gabriel, L., Sheehy, R., Charura, D., Dunn, E., Hall, J., Moller, N. P., Smith, K., & Cooper, M. (2024) · British Journal of Guidance and Counselling · doi:10.1080/03069885.2024.2373179 · Cited by 3
“More recently, a study considered how research can help us to identify di ff erences between telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy, fi nding evidence of practitioner perceptions and beliefs about counselling media without a visual element as being inferior (Irvine et al., 2020).”
Integrating Online and Face-to-Face Counselling in Schools: Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies
Boniel‐Nissim, M. (2026) · Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools · doi:10.1177/20556365261428304 · Cited by 4
COVID-19’s Nudge to Modernise: An Opportunity to Reconsider Telehealth and Counselling Placements
Beel, N. (2021) · Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia · doi:10.59158/001c.71230 · Cited by 3
“In one systematic review of 15 studies comparing telephone and F2F counselling, the researchers found both formats to be comparable in alliance, empathy, participation, and disclosure (Irvine et al., 2020).”
BackgroundVelasco, E. R., Pedersen, H. S., Laursen, D. H., & Skinner, T. C. (2023) · PEC Innovation · doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100211 · Cited by 4
“These modalities are especially useful for patients that live in remote areas [29] or for consultations that do not require a physical examination, such as psychological therapy [30] and lifestyle interventions [31].”
BackgroundHowes, E., Smith, S. G., Gillies, K., Zhang, L. M., & Farrin, A. J. (2025) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-025-09145-6 · Cited by 2
“Irvine et al. [73] emphasise the need for more explicit verbal cues during telephone interactions to demonstrate ‘active listening’, whereas technological challenges are frequently reported in video-based intervention delivery [74–76].”
Management referral triaging process pilot study: a ‘telephone first’ approach
O’Reilly, A., & McDonnell, C. (2020) · Occupational Medicine · doi:10.1093/occmed/kqaa190 · Cited by 3
Johnson, D. A., Stone, A., & Marsh, S. (2022) · Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development · doi:10.1080/07481756.2022.2066545 · Cited by 3
Therapists’ experiences of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic
Morgan, A., Davies, C., Olabi, Y., Hope‐Stone, L., Cherry, M. G., & Fisher, P. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.966021 · Cited by 3
“, 2020), or poorer quality of relationships (Irvine et al., 2020) when comparing remote and face to face therapy.”
BackgroundSaffaryazdi, N., Kirkcaldy, N., Lee, G., Loveys, K., Broadbent, E., & Billinghurst, M. (2024) · Telematics and Informatics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.teler.2024.100131 · Cited by 5
Atiq, M., Nazir, H., Rahman, A., Malik, A., Atif, N., & Surkan, P. J. (2024) · Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health · doi:10.1017/gmh.2024.59 · Cited by 3
“Interestingly, a recent systematic review of 15 studies investigating the interactional differences between telephone and face-to-face psychological therapy found no significant disparities in therapeutic alliance, disclosure, empathy, attentiveness, or participation (Irvine et al., 2020).”
Metadata
- Authors
- Irvine, A., Drew, P., Bower, P., Brooks, H., Gellatly, J., Armitage, C. J., Barkham, M., McMillan, D., & Bee, P.
- Affiliations
- University of York (GB)
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- University of Sheffield (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Irvine, Annie
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-03
- Volume
- 265
- Pages
- 120-131
- ISSN
- 0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7049904
- OpenAlex
- W2998977303
- Cited by
- 196
- References
- 80
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 25
- FWCI
- 6.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health Research (RP-PG-1016-20010)
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
- NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- face-to-face psychotherapy, therapeutic relationship, empathy, patient participation, disclosure, session duration, therapist attitudes, patient attitudes
- MeSH terms
- Empathy, Humans, Telephone, Exercise
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