A variety of new psychotherapy modalities has arisen in which the contact between patient and therapist takes place via the internet. The main objective of this systematic review is to investigate the types of online psychotherapy (OP) conducted nowadays, and to describe their main characteristics to psychodynamic psychotherapists who may wish to better understand the current scientific literature on the subject. The review used two databases, EMBASE and PsycINFO. Fifty-nine studies were retrieved and the main online psychotherapy modalities identified were self-therapy programmes using contact via email or chat; videoconference; and therapy exclusively via chat or email. The result of these studies suggests that OP is more effective than a waiting list control group. When compared with face-to-face therapies, OP showed similar effects. Most studies involved cognitive behavioural therapy; only two studies involved a form of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Different forms of communication allow patient and therapist to establish different relationships and therapeutic possibilities. OPs may be feasible treatment alternatives; however, it remains unclear, especially in relation to psychodynamic treatments, if therapeutic technique in OP, which involves changes in comparison with face-to-face therapies, would be useful in severe cases. Psychodynamic psychotherapists should adopt a posture of constant reflection on the changes taking place in the world and their impact on the minds of individuals, without, nevertheless, idealizing the 'new'. the therapist's location. Many people with mental health disorders fail to seek assistance or cannot afford to visit a doctor's office or mental healthcare centre, and the internet offers access to different therapeutic interventions.These studies throw light on the phenomenon, but online psychotherapies are considered new treatment modalities and are a rapidly expanding field. Most of the data presented in the aforementioned studies are contradictory and inconclusive. Systematic reviews on the subject assist the clinician and the researcher in knowing the state of the art on the subject and in positioning themselves more critically in terms of incorporating online treatment modalities in their practices. For psychodynamic psychotherapy in particular, it is necessary to critically discuss the effect of these technologies on the pillars of this theoretical approach, such as transference, countertransference and the analytic field. These concepts constitute the basis of psychodynamic practice and may be profoundly affected by a virtual relationship (Sfoggia et al., 2014). Therefore, we need to keep questioning the impact of online treatments in a psychodynamic psychotherapy setting.The main objective of this systematic review was to investigate the types of OP conducted nowadays, and to describe their main characteristics to psychodynamic psychotherapists who may wish to better understand the current scientific literature on the subject. The secondary objective was to describe the mai...
In this age of unprecedented expansion of media and information dissemination and sharing, the use of electronic means should be reconsidered. The use of new technologies should be studied to understand how it may affect the relationship between patient and therapist during psychotherapy or psychoanalytic treatments. This study offers a critical discussion of the effect of technologies on clinical practice, and vignettes are used to describe their impact on frame, anonymity, abstinence and therapeutic neutrality. Transfer and countertransference issues resulting from these changes are also discussed. The potential benefits of new technologies in psychotherapy are appreciated, but the authors draw attention to the need to reflect about the presence of the therapist in those technologies and the preservation of the therapeutic setting, so that a satisfactory progression of the work of the dyad is ensured. This study also discusses the use of technologies in the expansion of learning and application of the therapeutic technique to overcome geographic and time barriers, among others.
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