Psychotherapy by telephone

ronbyrne2005

Does it work as well as in person?any studies on it?

regob

i cant see this working

Odysseus

Does it work as well I doubt it. I have never had any experience of it I just wouldn't consider it an option. Really the only time I have heard of it was in reference to stars or people who travel alot and therefore cannot make face to face appointments. When I think of it it reminds me of the concept of a sponsor in 12 step fellowships where a lot of the contact may occur over the phone, and even though sponsors are not therapists the relation is therapeutic. I think you might find it diffcult to find decent research on this area, as the concept of research in psychotherapy can be radically different from psychology.

JuliusCaesar

I think this has been researched and it is used in remote areas like the Highlands of Scotland, New Zealand etc. No research at my fingertips as I live and work in a densely populated region!

JuliusCaesar

A very quick Google Scholar search came up with, amongst others:

J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000 Apr;68(2):356-61.
Telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

Mohr DC, Likosky W, Bertagnolli A, Goodkin DE, Van Der Wende J, Dwyer P, Dick LP.

This study examined the efficacy of an 8-week telephone-administered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depressive symptomatology in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The treatment, Coping with MS (CMS), included a patient workbook designed to structure the treatment, provide visual aids, and help with homework assignments. Thirty-two patients with MS, who scored at least 15 on the Profile of Mood States Depression-Dejection scale, were randomly assigned to either the telephone CMS or to a usual-care control (UCC) condition. Depressive symptomatology decreased significantly in the CMS condition compared with the UCC condition. Furthermore, adherence to interferon beta-1a, a disease-modifying medication for the treatment of MS, was significantly better at the 4-month follow-up among patients who received CMS as compared with those in the UCC condition.


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Title:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Comparison of Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, and Telephone Consultations
Authors:
Bastien, Celyne H.; Morin, Charles M.; Ouellet, Marie-Christine; Blais, France C.; Bouchard, Sebastien
Source:
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v72 n4 p653-659 Aug 2004
Abstract:
Forty-five adults with primary insomnia received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) implemented in a group therapy format, in individual face-to-face therapy or through brief individual telephone consultations. The results indicate that CBT was effective in improving sleep parameters with all 3 methods of treatment implementation, and there was no significant difference across methods of implementation. All 3 treatment modalities produced improvements in sleep that were maintained for 6 months after treatment completion. These results suggest that group therapy and telephone consultations represent cost-effective alternatives to individual therapy for the management of insomnia.
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TELEPHONE TREATMENT OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Karina Lovell a1 c1 , Linda Fullalove a2 , Rachel Garvey a2 and Charles Brooker a1

Abstract
Whilst there is substantial evidence of the efficacy of exposure and response prevention in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), little research has focused on delivering treatment in a more cost-effective way. This study investigated the use of brief treatment of a single 45-minute face-to-face treatment session, followed by eight weekly 15-minute telephone therapy sessions, and a final face-to-face session of 30 minutes. Of the four patients included in this small pilot study, of whom all completed treatment, three clients improved and one client made slight improvement. Given these promising results, further investigation of exposure and response prevention delivered in this way is warranted.
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy (2000), 28: 87-91 Cambridge University Press

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We have to keep exploring options for people who may not be mobile, for remote areas, and to improve the amount of people therapists can reach. Jim White in Glasgow has done some very interesting work to reach masses of people with his steps programme, although this is v different to phone/internet therapy.