Authors :
Garima Ranga; Nupur Khandelwal; Manisha Jha; Vibha Sharma
Volume/Issue :
Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 4 - April
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/7457pu3y
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/ywb99xds
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25apr2380
Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.
Abstract :
Telepsychotherapy emerged in India during the early 2000s and experienced a significant increase in utilization
during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It falls under the category of telemental health, which refers to delivering
behavioral and mental health care services through technological platforms, either as a substitute for or alongside
traditional face-to-face methods. Despite offering enhanced access to mental health care, telepsychotherapy presents
challenges to established practices of conventional psychotherapy, especially to the trainees. Thus, understanding their
perspective on this transition is crucial for optimizing telepsychotherapy effectiveness in the future. The current study
aims to delve into the experiences of debutant psychotherapists concerning their training and implementation of
telepsychotherapy. The study utilized a qualitative approach and employed purposive sampling to gather data.
Participants M. Phil Clinical Psychology within last 6 months were approached through social media, targeted emails, and
a snowball method within their social network. The thematic analyses were conducted to identify and categorize common
themes, shedding light on the evolving landscape of telepsychotherapy and its impact on the learning process of future
therapists. It is a rapidly evolving field that has become increasingly crucial in the current context. Understanding
trainees' perspectives on this shift and how it impacts their learning process is vital for enhancing the effectiveness of
telepsychotherapy for future therapists.
Keywords :
Telepsychotherapy, M.Phil Trainees, Clinical Psychology Trainees, Telecounselling, India.
References :
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- Brahnam, S. (2017). Comparison of in-person and screen-based analysis using communication models: A first step toward the psychoanalysis of telecommunications and its noise. Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 14(2), 138-158.
- Fleuty, K., & Almond, M. K. (2020). Remote access therapy for veterans with psychological problems: Current state of the art. Military Medicine, 185(7-8), e1046-e1050.
- Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (2017). Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Routledge.
- Hagens, V., Dobrow, M. J., & Chafe, R. (2009). Interviewee transcript review: assessing the impact on qualitative research. BMC medical research methodology, 9, 1-8.
- Markowitz, J. C., Milrod, B., Heckman, T. G., Bergman, M., Amsalem, D., Zalman, H., ... & Neria, Y. (2021). Psychotherapy at a distance. American Journal of Psychiatry, 178(3), 240-246.
- Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. Revised and Expanded from" Case Study Research in Education.". Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St, San Francisco, CA 94104.
- Mondal, I., Anand, N., Sharma, M. K., Kohli, T., Thakur, P. C., Kande, J. S., ... & Sj, A. (2020). Telephonic psychotherapy in India: A reminder of challenges in times of COVID-19. Asian journal of psychiatry, 53, 102432.
- Nodop, S., Thiel, K., & Strauß, B. (2010). Supervision in psychotherapeutic training in Germany: Quantitative and qualitative results of the research survey. Psychotherapeut, 55, 485-495.
- O'donovan, A., Halford, W. K., & Walters, B. (2011). Towards best practice supervision of clinical psychology trainees. Australian Psychologist, 46(2), 101-112.
- Russell, G. I. (2018). Screen relations: The limits of computer-mediated psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Routledge.
- Satalkar, P., Shrivastava, S., & De Sousa, A. (2015). Internet-mediated psychotherapy: Are we ready for the ethical challenges. Indian J Med Ethics, 12(4), 220-7.
- Tandon, R. (2020). COVID-19 and mental health: preserving humanity, maintaining sanity, and promoting health. Asian journal of psychiatry, 51, 102256.
Telepsychotherapy emerged in India during the early 2000s and experienced a significant increase in utilization
during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It falls under the category of telemental health, which refers to delivering
behavioral and mental health care services through technological platforms, either as a substitute for or alongside
traditional face-to-face methods. Despite offering enhanced access to mental health care, telepsychotherapy presents
challenges to established practices of conventional psychotherapy, especially to the trainees. Thus, understanding their
perspective on this transition is crucial for optimizing telepsychotherapy effectiveness in the future. The current study
aims to delve into the experiences of debutant psychotherapists concerning their training and implementation of
telepsychotherapy. The study utilized a qualitative approach and employed purposive sampling to gather data.
Participants M. Phil Clinical Psychology within last 6 months were approached through social media, targeted emails, and
a snowball method within their social network. The thematic analyses were conducted to identify and categorize common
themes, shedding light on the evolving landscape of telepsychotherapy and its impact on the learning process of future
therapists. It is a rapidly evolving field that has become increasingly crucial in the current context. Understanding
trainees' perspectives on this shift and how it impacts their learning process is vital for enhancing the effectiveness of
telepsychotherapy for future therapists.
Keywords :
Telepsychotherapy, M.Phil Trainees, Clinical Psychology Trainees, Telecounselling, India.