Psychotherapists' experiences of telepsychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina: impact on therapy setting, therapeutic relationship and burden

In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Argentina, quarantine and distancing measures were adopted. This has led to a large increase in the use of online psychotherapy. Several inter-national studies have already examined the transition from face-to-face therapy to telepsychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic from a therapist perspective, but within these studies, the Latin American context is not represented. To fill this research gap, this qualitative study explored the Argentinean psychother-apists' experiences with online psychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic by means of in-depth interviews and content analysis. Based on the international literature, an interview guide was created which covered three main topics: setting, therapeutic relationship, and burden among therapists. For the analysis of the therapists' answers, a detailed codebook was developed. Effects were identified in all three areas investigated. The nine inter-viewed psychotherapists described unfavorable therapy condi-tions which affected the therapeutic setting, the psychotherapeutic methods and contents. Positive effects in the therapeutic relation-ship included patients being more open, but also negative effects such as discontinuation of therapies were reported. Therapists ex-perienced telepsychotherapy as more exhausting than in-person psychotherapy, but they considered it a valuable tool during the pandemic, and the transition an enriching experience. These re-sults, which are partially consistent with international findings, have practical implications for the practice of telepsychotherapy in Argentina. Technical conditions should be improved and pa-tients' privacy during the session should be ensured. Treatment techniques and diagnostics need to be adapted for their use in telepsychotherapy.