Background: The current situation around the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures necessary to fight it are creating challenges for psychotherapists, who usually treat patients face-to-face with personal contact. The pandemic is accelerating the use of remote psychotherapy (ie, psychotherapy provided via telephone or the internet). However, some psychotherapists have expressed reservations regarding remote psychotherapy. As psychotherapists are the individuals who determine the frequency of use of remote psychotherapy, the potential of enabling mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic in line with the protective measures to fight COVID-19 can be realized only if psychotherapists are willing to use remote psychotherapy. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of psychotherapists with remote psychotherapy in the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown in Austria (between March 24 and April 1, 2020). Methods: Austrian psychotherapists were invited to take part in a web-based survey. The therapeutic orientations of the psychotherapists (behavioral, humanistic, psychodynamic, or systemic), their rating of the comparability of remote psychotherapy (web- or telephone-based) with face-to-face psychotherapy involving personal contact, and potential discrepancies between their actual experiences and previous expectations with remote psychotherapy were assessed. Data from 1162 psychotherapists practicing before and during the COVID-19 lockdown were analyzed. Results: Psychotherapy conducted via telephone or the internet was reported to not be totally comparable to psychotherapy with personal contact (P<.001). Psychodynamic (P=.001) and humanistic (P=.005) therapists reported a higher comparability of telephone-based psychotherapy to in-person psychotherapy than behavioral therapists. Experiences with remote therapy (both web- and telephone-based) were more positive than previously expected (P<.001). Psychodynamic therapists reported more positive experiences with telephone-based psychotherapy than expected compared to behavioral (P=.03) and systemic (P=.002) therapists. In general, web-based psychotherapy was rated more positively (regarding comparability to psychotherapy with personal contact and experiences vs expectations) than telephone-based psychotherapy (P<.001); however, psychodynamic therapists reported their previous expectations to be equal to their actual experiences for both telephone- and web-based psychotherapy. Conclusions: Psychotherapists found their experiences with remote psychotherapy (ie, web- or telephone-based psychotherapy) to be better than expected but found that this mode was not totally comparable to face-to-face psychotherapy with personal contact. Especially, behavioral therapists were found to rate telephone-based psychotherapy less favorably than therapists with other theoretical backgrounds.

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中文翻译：

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在COVID-19大流行期间心理治疗师进行远程心理治疗的经验：基于网络的横断面调查研究

背景：COVID-19大流行周围的现状以及应对这种流行病的必要措施给心理治疗师带来了挑战，他们通常通过个人接触面对面地治疗患者。大流行病正在加速使用远程心理治疗（即通过电话或互联网提供的心理治疗）。但是，一些心理治疗师对远程心理治疗表示保留。由于心理治疗师是决定使用远程心理疗法的频率的个人，因此只有在心理治疗师愿意使用远程心理疗法的情况下，才能实现与COVID-19的防护措施相一致的COVID-19大流行期间提供心理保健的潜力。心理治疗。目的：这项研究旨在调查在奥地利COVID-19锁定的第一周（2020年3月24日至4月1日），心理治疗师进行远程心理治疗的经历。方法：邀请奥地利心理治疗师参加基于网络的调查。心理治疗师的治疗取向（行为，人文，心理动力学或系统性），他们对远程心理治疗（基于网络或电话）与涉及个人接触的面对面心理治疗的可比性进行评估，以及他们实际之间的潜在差异评估了远程心理治疗的经验和以前的期望。分析了来自COVID-19锁定之前和锁定期间的1162名心理治疗师的数据。结果：据报道，通过电话或互联网进行的心理治疗不能完全与个人接触的心理治疗相提并论（P <.001）。心理动力治疗师（P = .001）和人文主义治疗师（P = .005）报告说，基于电话的心理疗法与面对面的心理疗法的可比性比行为治疗师更高。远程治疗（基于网络和电话）的经验比以前预期的要积极（P <.001）。与行为治疗师（P = .03）和全身治疗师（P = .002）相比，心理动力治疗师报告的基于电话的心理治疗的积极经验超出预期。一般而言，基于网络的心理治疗（基于心理接触与个人接触和经验的可比性与期望的可比性）的评价要比基于电话的心理治疗（P <.001）更积极（P <.001）。然而，心理动力治疗师报告说，他们先前的期望与基于电话和基于网络的心理疗法的实际经验相同。结论：心理治疗师发现他们在远程心理治疗（即基于网络或电话的心理治疗）方面的经验要比预期的要好，但是发现这种模式不能完全与个人接触的面对面心理治疗相提并论。尤其是，发现行为治疗师对基于电话的心理治疗的评价不及具有其他理论背景的治疗师。基于网络或电话的心理治疗）要比预期的要好，但是发现这种模式不能与个人接触的面对面心理治疗完全媲美。尤其是，发现行为治疗师对基于电话的心理治疗的评价不及具有其他理论背景的治疗师。基于网络或电话的心理治疗）要比预期的要好，但是发现这种模式不能与个人接触的面对面心理治疗完全媲美。尤其是，发现行为治疗师对基于电话的心理治疗的评价不及具有其他理论背景的治疗师。

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