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(Inter)personal computing: the role of the therapeutic relationship in e-mental health

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 22:47 authored by Kate CavanaghKate Cavanagh, Abigail Millings
E-mental health technologies are rapidly expanding the reach of psychological interventions around the globe. There is a growing evidence base supporting the potential benefits of these new technologies for psychological and behavioural health. Most of this evidence to date has focused on evaluating the feasibility and outcomes from such interventions, whilst limited research has begun to explore the change processes associated with their impact. In traditional psychological therapies the quality of common factors, including the therapeutic relationship, are widely held to be important for engagement and outcomes. E-mental health interventions present a challenge to the importance of these factors, as therapeutic interactions are typically remote, limited, or even absent in the case of fully automated e-mental health programmes. This paper explores the role of the therapeutic relationship in e-mental health. Where measured, it appears that the relationship is fairly robust to distance and limited contact, but may be less intimately associated with therapy outcomes than in traditional therapies. Where the intervention comprises little or no therapeutic contact, we explore how some of the variance in engagement and outcomes may still be accounted for by common and relational factors offered through a supportive frame or embedded within the technologies themselves. Implications for theory, research and practice are presented. (Inter)personal Computing: The Role of the Therapeutic Relationship in E-mental Health (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/255908175_(Inter)personal_Computing_The_Role_of_the_Therapeutic_Relationship_in_E-mental_Health [accessed Oct 14, 2015].

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy

ISSN

0022-0116

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

4

Volume

43

Page range

197-206

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-10-15

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