Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Psychother Res. 2021 Sep;31(7):843-858. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2020.1854486. Epub 2020 Dec 14.
Recent years have seen a significant and rapid increase in the provision of tele-therapies. Chairwork methods such as empty-chair dialogues and role-play represent a "common" category of therapeutic interventions which are utilized in many psychotherapeutic approaches. However, guidelines for facilitating chairwork in tele-therapy are currently lacking. The aim of this study was to survey expert providers regarding how chairwork is best provided in internet-delivered psychotherapy. Forty one experts were recruited from a range of therapeutic backgrounds including cognitive behaviour therapy, compassion focused therapy, emotion focused therapy, psychodrama, schema therapy, and voice dialogue. Participants completed a brief questionnaire survey exploring the delivery of tele-chairwork. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: (i) divided opinion; (ii) convergence between therapy and home; (iii) disconnection and depth; (iv) practical impediments and benefits; and (v) revising and re-visioning chairwork. Overall, results indicate that chairwork can be successfully incorporated into tele-therapy, but requires adaption and special considerations. Despite challenges, tele-chairwork appears to be a feasible method of psychotherapeutic intervention. Preliminary guidelines for initiating, facilitating, and concluding tele-chairwork are presented, alongside future directions for research.
近年来，远程治疗的提供有了显著而快速的增长。椅子工作方法，如空椅子对话和角色扮演，代表了一种“常见”的治疗干预类别，被许多心理治疗方法所采用。然而，目前缺乏促进远程治疗中椅子工作的指南。本研究的目的是调查专家提供者，了解如何在互联网提供的心理治疗中最好地提供椅子工作。从认知行为疗法、同情焦点疗法、情绪焦点疗法、心理剧、图式疗法和声音对话等多种治疗背景中招募了 41 名专家。参与者完成了一项简短的问卷调查，探讨远程椅子工作的交付情况。使用主题分析对回复进行了分析。确定了五个主题：（i）意见分歧；（ii）治疗与家庭之间的趋同；（iii）脱节与深度；（iv）实际障碍和益处；和（v）修订和重新审视椅子工作。总体而言，结果表明椅子工作可以成功地纳入远程治疗，但需要适应和特殊考虑。尽管存在挑战，但远程椅子工作似乎是一种可行的心理治疗干预方法。提出了启动、促进和结束远程椅子工作的初步指南，并为未来的研究方向提供了建议。
