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Parentes eller paradigmskifte? En intervjustudie om par- och familjeterapeuters upplevelser av psykoterapi online under pågående covid-19-pandemi

Nordgren, Kristina LU and Rosenqvist, Maria LU (2021) PPTR06 20211
Department of Psychology
Abstract
This study aims to increase understanding of how couple and family therapy are affected by being carried out online, and to explore couple and family therapists’ experiences of online therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight accredited couple and family therapists with experience of practicing therapy online. The data was subjected to thematic analysis, and nine themes were identified. A key finding is that communication was affected by the limited non-verbal communication in online therapy. The relationship and balance of responsibilities between the therapist and the couple or family were also found to differ in online therapy, tending to be more symmetrical. In addition, a new type of direct feedback process was... (More)
This study aims to increase understanding of how couple and family therapy are affected by being carried out online, and to explore couple and family therapists’ experiences of online therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight accredited couple and family therapists with experience of practicing therapy online. The data was subjected to thematic analysis, and nine themes were identified. A key finding is that communication was affected by the limited non-verbal communication in online therapy. The relationship and balance of responsibilities between the therapist and the couple or family were also found to differ in online therapy, tending to be more symmetrical. In addition, a new type of direct feedback process was found to occur in online therapy. The study indicates that strong alliances can be formed online and that it is feasible to work with emotion regulation, mentalization and intersubjectivity, though a more deliberate approach is required. However, the therapists reported hesitation and caution about carrying out creative family therapeutic interventions online, and a greater reliance on conversation-based approaches. This points to the risk of children being excluded from online family therapy. The study also shows that experience of conducting online therapy can give the therapist increased confidence and a broader repertoire of skills online. The implications for practice and further research are discussed; online therapy is a relatively unexplored field, and the study indicates a clear need for continued research to increase knowledge and understanding. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Syftet med studien var att nå en ökad förståelse för hur par- och familjeterapin påverkas av att bedrivas online samt att undersöka par- och familjeterapeuters upplevelser av onlineterapi. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med åtta legitimerade par- och familjeterapeuter som i sin verksamhet har erfarenhet av par- och/eller familjeterapi online. Materialet analyserades med tematisk analys och nio temata identifierades. Till studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser hör att kommunikationen förändras online då den icke-verbala kommunikation begränsas. Relationen och ansvarsfördelningen mellan terapeut och par/familj verkar också förändras på så sätt att de jämnas ut till att bli mer symmetriska online. Vidare visar studien att det tycks uppstå... (More)
Syftet med studien var att nå en ökad förståelse för hur par- och familjeterapin påverkas av att bedrivas online samt att undersöka par- och familjeterapeuters upplevelser av onlineterapi. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med åtta legitimerade par- och familjeterapeuter som i sin verksamhet har erfarenhet av par- och/eller familjeterapi online. Materialet analyserades med tematisk analys och nio temata identifierades. Till studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser hör att kommunikationen förändras online då den icke-verbala kommunikation begränsas. Relationen och ansvarsfördelningen mellan terapeut och par/familj verkar också förändras på så sätt att de jämnas ut till att bli mer symmetriska online. Vidare visar studien att det tycks uppstå en ny typ av direkt feedbackprocess online. Studien belyser att det är möjligt att bygga en stark allians online. Resultaten pekar på att det är möjligt att arbeta med känsloreglering, mentalisering och intersubjektivitet online, men det kräver ett mer medvetetet förhållningssätt. Studien visar att samtal upplevs som den enklaste terapeutiska interventionen att genomföra online och indikerar på en tvekan och försiktighet när det gäller att genomföra kreativa familjeterapeutiska interventioner online. Det finns därför en tydlig farhåga att barn ska bli exkluderade från familjeterapi online. Slutligen verkar det i studien som att ökad erfarenhet av att bedriva onlineterapi breddar repertoaren hos terapeuten och minskar osäkerheten vid onlineterapi. Resultaten diskuteras i förhållande till dess implikationer för praktik och vidare forskning och det kan konstateras att det finns en kunskapsbrist och omfattande behov av fortsatt forskning. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nordgren, Kristina LU and Rosenqvist, Maria LU
supervisor
organization
course
PPTR06 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
couple and family therapy online, online therapy, systemic therapy, couples and family therapist
language
Swedish
id
9046828
date added to LUP
2021-05-28 10:10:36
date last changed
2021-06-01 08:06:01
@misc{9046828,
  abstract     = {{This study aims to increase understanding of how couple and family therapy are affected by being carried out online, and to explore couple and family therapists’ experiences of online therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight accredited couple and family therapists with experience of practicing therapy online. The data was subjected to thematic analysis, and nine themes were identified. A key finding is that communication was affected by the limited non-verbal communication in online therapy. The relationship and balance of responsibilities between the therapist and the couple or family were also found to differ in online therapy, tending to be more symmetrical. In addition, a new type of direct feedback process was found to occur in online therapy. The study indicates that strong alliances can be formed online and that it is feasible to work with emotion regulation, mentalization and intersubjectivity, though a more deliberate approach is required. However, the therapists reported hesitation and caution about carrying out creative family therapeutic interventions online, and a greater reliance on conversation-based approaches. This points to the risk of children being excluded from online family therapy. The study also shows that experience of conducting online therapy can give the therapist increased confidence and a broader repertoire of skills online. The implications for practice and further research are discussed; online therapy is a relatively unexplored field, and the study indicates a clear need for continued research to increase knowledge and understanding.}},
  author       = {{Nordgren, Kristina and Rosenqvist, Maria}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Parentes eller paradigmskifte? En intervjustudie om par- och familjeterapeuters upplevelser av psykoterapi online under pågående covid-19-pandemi}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}