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Integrating the Digital and the Traditional to Deliver Therapy for Depression: Lessons from a Pragmatic Study
Date Issued
2020-04-30
Date Available
2021-03-04T16:33:00Z
Abstract
Traditional approaches to psychotherapy emphasise face-to-face contact between patients and therapists. In contrast, current computerised approaches tend to minimise this contact. This can limit the range of mental health difficulties for which computerised approaches are effective. Here, we explore an alternative approach that integrates face-to-face contact, electronic contact, online collaboration, and support for between-session activities. Our discussion is grounded in the design of a platform to deliver psychotherapy for depression. We report findings of an 11-month pragmatic study in which 17 patients received treatment for depression via the platform. Results show how design decisions had a significant impact on the dynamics of therapeutic sessions and the establishment of patient-therapist relationships. For example, the use of instant messaging for synchronous, in-session contact slowed communication, but also provided a valuable space for reflection and helped to maintain session focus. We discuss the impact of flexibility and the potential of integrated approaches to both enhance and reduce patient engagement.
Sponsorship
Science Foundation Ireland
Other Sponsorship
Insight Research Centre
National Institute for Health Research
Type of Material
Conference Publication
Publisher
ACM
Copyright (Published Version)
2020 the Authors
Web versions
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
Conference Details
Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Honolulu, Hawai'i (cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak), 25-30 April 2020
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
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