THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE IN VIDEOCONFERENCING DURING telepsychotherapy for anxiety disorder SPECTRUM: SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
This review assesses whether it is possible to build a strong therapeutic alliance (TA) during an individual psychological intervention administered by videoconference for the anxiety disorders spectrum. Ten studies were identified. Interventions were delivered by videoconference or through the Skype communication software. Results indicate that a good quality TA can emerge during telepsychotherapy for disorders of the anxiety spectrum. However, more studies need to be conducted to provide additional empirical support to this question. A better understanding of conditions promoting the establishment of a therapeutic relationship despite the distance also needs to be targeted to guide health professionals in a judicious use of this form of innovative intervention.