Psychodynamic Online Treatment Following Supportive Expressive Therapy (SET):Therapeutic Rationale, Interventions and Treatment Process.

OBJECTIVES

The feasibility of psychodynamic online treatments has remained an issue of debate. The paper presents rationale and technique of a psychodynamic online intervention discussing therapeutic process and alliance based on two case examples from an RCT.

METHODS

A weekly writing task is followed by individual feedback from the online therapist. Treatment focuses on a 'Core Conflict Relationship Theme' based on relationship episodes according to the wish of the patient, reactions of the others and reactions of the self. Maladaptive interpersonal interactions are worked through by supportive and expressive therapeutic interventions.

RESULTS

Case reports from our study illustrate a productive therapeutic process without immediate personal contact or nonverbal communication.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional reactions and felt concern of the online therapist promote engagement in patients. Online therapists need to detect alliance ruptures based on text messages and remedy them. We discuss psychodynamic online treatments as adjuncts to face to face psychotherapy.