Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 18:10.1002/jcad.12439.
doi: 10.1002/jcad.12439. Online ahead of print.

Rapid transition from in-person to videoconferencing psychotherapy in a counselor training clinic: A safety and feasibility study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sean B Hall  1 , Alise G Bartley  1 , Julieta Wenk  1 , Annemarie Connor  2 , Suzanne M Dugger  1 , Krista Casazza  3
Affiliations

Rapid transition from in-person to videoconferencing psychotherapy in a counselor training clinic: A safety and feasibility study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sean B Hall et al. J Couns Dev. .

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many counselor training clinics rapidly transitioned in-person (IP) services to videoconferencing psychotherapy (VCP). Because VCP is a relatively new technology, more research is needed to establish whether this delivery format is a safe and acceptable substitute for IP services in counselor training clinics. The purpose of this study is to explore questions related to how clients perceive VCP versus IP in terms of credibility and expectancy. Results from this investigation demonstrate that clients who participate in VCP, without first meeting their counselor in person, may initially question the credibility and effectiveness of VCP. However, results demonstrated improvement, in both groups, across the duration of therapy. These findings provide both initial support for the safety of VCP in counselor training clinics and justification for further research.

Keywords: clinical mental health counseling training center; in person psychotherapy; videoconferencing psychotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We have no known conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Estimated distribution of credibility scores. Panels (A) and (B) plot the estimated density of credibility scores provided by clients receiving either VCP or IP services respectively. Relative to response patterns observed in the VCP group, clients in the IP group more frequently endorsed higher levels of perceived credibility.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Predicted values of depression severity over time by treatment group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. AEgisdottir, S. , White, M. , Spengler, P. , Maugherman, A. , Anderson, L. , Cook, R. , Nichols, C. , Lampropoulos, G. , Walker, B. , Cohen, G. , & Rush, J. (2006). The meta‐analysis of clinical judgment project: Fifty‐six years of accumulated research on clinical versus statistical prediction. Counseling Psychologist, 34(3), 341–382. 10.1177/0011000005285875 - DOI
    1. Al‐Jabari, R. , Murrell, A. , Callahan, J. , Cox, R. , & Lester, E. (2019). Do distress level and waitlists impact termination in a training clinic? Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 13(2), 127–137. 10.1037/tep0000223 - DOI
    1. American Counseling Association . (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA. American Counseling Association. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca‐code‐of‐ethics.pdf
    1. Barlow, D. H. (2010). Negative effects from psychological treatments: A perspective. American Psychologist, 65(1), 13–20. 10.1037/a0015643 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Batastini, A. B. , Paprzycki, P. , Jones, A. C. T. , & MacLean, N. (2021). Are videoconferenced mental and behavioral health services just as good as in‐person? A meta‐analysis of a fast‐growing practice. Clinical Psychology Review, 83, 101944. 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101944 - DOI - PubMed