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Cited by 104Telemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationCOVID-19 and Mental HealthDental Research and COVID-19

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 47 of the 47 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Therapists Make the Switch to Telepsychology to Safely Continue Treating Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Virtual Reality Telepsychology May Be Next

Open access
Sampaio, Mariana, Navarro Haro, Maria Vicenta, De Sousa, Bruno, Vieira Melo, Wilson, Hoffman, Hunter G.·2021·Frontiers in Virtual Reality
DOI 10.3389/frvir.2020.576421PMC PMC7880047
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Abstract

Before COVID-19, most therapists had concerns about telepsychology, and only treated patients in person. During the COVID-19 lockdown, patients still needed therapy, but in-person therapy sessions became unsafe. The current study measured how many therapists are using online therapy before vs. during COVID-19, how much training they have received, and their knowledge about legal restrictions on using telepsychology. A sample of 768 U.S.A. mental health professionals completed a 29-item online survey. Results show that before COVID-19, most therapists only saw their patients in person (e.g., at the therapists office), but during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all therapists used a wide range of telecommunication technologies to communicate with their quarantined patients, including texting, telephones, video conferences, and even virtual reality. According to within-subject related samples comparisons, 39% of survey respondents used telepsychology before COVID-19, vs. 98% during COVID-19 (χ2 = 450.02, p < 0.001). Therapists reported high treatment effectiveness using telepsychology (7.45 on 0–10 scale). However, overall, on a 0–10 scale, therapists reported a significant increase in feeling burned out during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mean = 3.93 (SD = 1.93) before vs. 6.22 (SD = 2.27) during the pandemic (Z = −18.57, p < 0.001). Although the APA ethics guidelines encourage therapists to use telepsychology with their patients during the crisis, gaps in respondents' knowledge identify a need for increased specialized training and education. Although the current study showed that virtual reality is rarely used by the therapists surveyed, virtual reality is a promising new telepsychology technology. Billions of dollars are currently being invested in mass producing immersive virtual reality systems. In the future, as networked immersive Virtual Reality becomes more widely available, therapists and patients in physically different locations will be able to “meet” in a shared computer-generated world designed for therapy sessions, potentially including group sessions. Telepsychology and virtual reality have the potential to be increasingly valuable tools to help therapists mitigate the consequences of COVID-19. Research, development and training is recommended.

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Crossref · 10.3389/frvir.2020.576421

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Figures

FIGURE 1 | Mindfulness RiverWorld, image by http://www.bigenvironments.com/, copyright Hunter G. Hoffman, http://www.vrpain.com/.
FIGURE 1 | Mindfulness RiverWorld, image by http://www.bigenvironments.com/, copyright Hunter G. Hoffman, http://www.vrpain.com/.CC BY · PubMed Central
FIGURE 2 | Ethnic background of therapist survey respondents.
FIGURE 2 | Ethnic background of therapist survey respondents.CC BY · PubMed Central
FIGURE 3 | Percent increase in telepsychology during pandemic in all primary profession categories.
FIGURE 3 | Percent increase in telepsychology during pandemic in all primary profession categories.CC BY · PubMed Central
FIGURE 4 | The most frequent modes of telecommunication used during teletherapy.
FIGURE 4 | The most frequent modes of telecommunication used during teletherapy.CC BY · PubMed Central
FIGURE 5 | Wilcoxon signed rank paired comparisons of therapists’ comfort, confidence, burnout, and use of mindfulness, and percent of therapists using telepsychology before vs. during the pandemic.
FIGURE 5 | Wilcoxon signed rank paired comparisons of therapists’ comfort, confidence, burnout, and use of mindfulness, and percent of therapists using telepsychology before vs. during the pandemic.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Bailenson, 2018, Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality is, How it Works, and What it Can Do

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Metadata

Authors
Sampaio, M., Navarro Haro, M. V., De Sousa, B., Vieira Melo, W., & Hoffman, H. G.
Affiliations
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa (PT)
  • University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Hoffman, Hunter G.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Virtual Reality
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2021-01-15
Volume
1
ISSN
2673-4192 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/frvir.2020.576421
PMC
PMC7880047
OpenAlex
W3122779837
Cited by
104
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 12
FWCI
16.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Virtual Reality (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zaguan (University of Zaragoza Repository) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • MAYDAY Fund
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › General Dentistry › Dental Research and COVID-19
Keywords
telepsychology, COVID-19 pandemic, virtual reality therapy, online therapy, therapist training, therapist burnout, videoconferencing, mental health professionals, treatment effectiveness

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