“Therapy Beyond the Screen”: A Qualitative Exploration of Tele-Therapy Experiences Among Clinical Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists

TL;DR

This study explores how clinical psychologists and speech therapists in Türkiye use online therapy, finding it effective and accessible despite some challenges.

Contribution

The study provides a comparative qualitative analysis of teletherapy experiences between two distinct professional groups in Türkiye.

Findings

Online therapy is seen as effective due to increased accessibility and time savings.

Both professions face similar challenges but use different approaches in practice.

Participants believe teletherapy can become more widespread with better technology and experience.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
This qualitative study examines the experiences of clinical psychologists and speech and language therapists in Türkiye who deliver online therapy, with a focus on teletherapy.Findings indicate that both professional groups regard online therapy as an effective option because it increases accessibility, provides time savings, and enables therapeutic services to be delivered independent of location.

This qualitative study examines the experiences of clinical psychologists and speech and language therapists in Türkiye who deliver online therapy, with a focus on teletherapy.

Findings indicate that both professional groups regard online therapy as an effective option because it increases accessibility, provides time savings, and enables therapeutic services to be delivered independent of location.

What are the implications of the main findings?
While clinical psychologists and speech and language therapists reported similar experiences in relation to the therapeutic relationship, the techniques and materials used, ethical considerations, and perceived advantages and limitations, they also demonstrated approaches that diverged in profession specific practices.Participants emphasized that challenges encountered during online therapy point to areas requiring improvement rather than diminishing the method’s effectiveness, and overall, the findings suggest that teletherapy may become a more widespread and effective intervention modality as technological infrastructure strengthens and therapists gain greater experience with online delivery.

While clinical psychologists and speech and language therapists reported similar experiences in relation to the therapeutic relationship, the techniques and materials used, ethical considerations, and perceived advantages and limitations, they also demonstrated approaches that diverged in profession specific practices.

Participants emphasized that challenges encountered during online therapy point to areas requiring improvement rather than diminishing the method’s effectiveness, and overall, the findings suggest that teletherapy may become a more widespread and effective intervention modality as technological infrastructure strengthens and therapists gain greater experience with online delivery.

Background/Objectives: With the diversification of technological tools, the prevalence of online therapy has increased among both clients and practitioners. Clinical psychologists and specialist speech and language therapists are two professional groups that frequently use online therapy. Understanding their experiences is important for evaluating the effectiveness of this service model and informing its further development. The aim of this study was to examine and compare the online therapy experiences of these two professional groups. Methods: This qualitative study included 10 practitioners (five clinical psychologists and five specialist speech and language therapists) who were actively delivering online sessions in Türkiye. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected through semi structured, open-ended interviews conducted online and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: A total of 8 themes emerged regarding practitioners’ experiences with online therapy, including the therapeutic relationship, techniques and materials used, advantages and disadvantages, coping strategies, professional reflections, required improvements, ethical issues, and recommendations. Similarities and differences were identified between the two professional groups across these themes. Conclusions: Participants considered online therapy to be an effective and feasible option, particularly due to increased accessibility, time savings, and the ability to deliver services independent of location. Challenges encountered during online therapy were described as areas requiring improvement rather than factors undermining effectiveness. Overall, the findings suggest that online therapy may become a more widespread intervention modality as technological infrastructure improves and practitioners gain greater experience with online delivery.

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