The online therapeutic setting? It's more practical than ever.

The term setting is an English word used to indicate a research context defined so that what is observed, described and understood has scientific reliability.

In psychiatry And dynamic psychotherapy The therapeutic setting It defines a space-time area bounded by rules that determine roles and functions in order to be able to analyze the emotional meaning of the patient’s experiences.

The therapeutic setting encompasses rules, principles, and models that shape the specific process aimed at the individual’s well-being. Different types of settings exist based on the practitioner’s psychotherapeutic model; each model has its own assumptions, techniques, tools, and even its own interior design.

There psychotherapy It helps and often solves. In this particular moment, it’s reorganizing. The psychologist is now at home with us, the office that used to welcome us in person has now moved online. Fortunately, the setting has adapted to the needs. Thus, today, we are increasingly talking about online therapeutic setting.

For reasons solely related to distances and travel, up to now, the online psychotherapy depended on the patients’ needs. With the pandemic, those who were receiving psychological support had to choose, willingly or unwillingly. What to do? Suspend sessions, continue only when possible, or opt for online psychology, taking advantage of the opportunity offered by technological support and the evolution of software to do tonline therapyThe choice was often forced. The therapist, even in this case, provided support.

The question that comes up in this case is almost always the same:

Can a shift in setting undermine psychotherapeutic efficacy?

The answer may surprise you. But it’s not at all obvious; and it’s supported by studies and by all the therapists who benefit from it and find support for their sessions. online therapeutic setting is starting to make its way, entering even the studies of the most sceptical of the online therapy.

If the therapist orients himself towards this new approach, the online therapeutic setting and the online psychology They are the answer; they are the confirmation of that request for a guarantee of continuity in the therapist-patient relationship.

In this case, it will be the therapist who seeks and guarantees, in his new online therapeutic setting, the same The type of setting previously established within his office. By implementing all available strategies that allow him to manage the meeting calmly, he will be able to maintain the session’s equilibrium.

Modify the therapeutic setting, adapt it, reconsider it in light of new needs. Here is the new online therapeutic setting It’s not at all obvious, but it’s more obvious than we often believe. Reconsidering the way we practice psychology; not so much to assess whether the alternative is effective, but to understand whether it might be suitable for our own path. This is the challenge.

The considerations that can be made when sharing a therapeutic setting online are all too simple:

you don’t experience the routine of the meeting
you don’t have a complete view of the body
the conversation is inevitably managed on a different register
the relationship is managed with a different sharing.

But what appears to be a limitation is often a source of growth. And the considerations made, which at first glance might seem like limitations, turn out to be stimuli. And they are, rather, to be considered valid sources of growth—in established therapeutic relationships, as well as in new ones to be initiated. They are starting points for new analyses and broader considerations.

Keeping up with the times: online sessions reach us when we can't go out

One cannot ignore the impact of the current evolution in society. It’s also inevitable to take into account the progress made in new technologies: virtual reality is increasingly present in therapeutic encounters, as well as in the most recent online sessions, and the development of is consolidated software for psychologists.

The social transformation we are experiencing is at times destabilized by a shared identity crisis. This is without underestimating the constant shifting of reference points. Added to all this is the digital revolution, which today renames generations based on their relationship with new technologies and multimedia.

Today, the technology, is no longer simply to be understood as a tool that enters the home. It is the tool thanks to which it is possible to continue a journey; the tool that allows you to maintain the continuity of the bond with the therapist, or to establish a new one. A software to do online therapy It is a necessity for many. It is what allows for that adaptation and reshaping of the setting in relation to the precariousness of the situation. And it defines the online therapeutic setting.

The pandemic is still here; and the restrictions have forced each of us to engage with these new tools, integrating them into the traditional therapeutic setting..

Therefore, it is necessary and inevitable to make some reflections.
Given the changes that the online therapeutic setting entails, it’s necessary to rethink some elements of the traditional method; evaluate which of these will remain unchanged and which will evolve to reshape the way therapy is delivered.

Online therapeutic setting: what are we talking about?

The online therapeutic setting, like the traditional one, can be understood as theset of many details of the technique that the therapist uses; therefore, it is nothing other than the routine of the session. And, considered in this way, it includes characteristic elements:

the role of the therapist
the set of space-time factors
the technique, which also results from the place, the times, the rhythms.

The therapeutic setting, being a constant, is decisive for the phenomena of the process; therefore it represents a metaconduct on which the phenomena themselves depend. Usually it remains in the background, but, in specific situations, it becomes the main figure, as happened in the coronavirus emergency: it is the online therapeutic setting.

In this particular and specific global situation of precariousness, a challenge has arisen for everyone; but it’s not unique to the online modality. Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, has had to, in specific situations and for personal needs, reorganize their day, adjusting commitments and appointments to the family schedule. With children and adolescents in the family, for example, the rhythm is constantly reshaped from week to week. Often even from day to day, due to real needs, such as school video lessons, which are frequently subject to change. This has certainly made it more difficult to establish stability in the meeting with the therapist; but it has made the boundaries of the setting much more flexible and fluid. More humane.

All these transformations, these constant changes, given the ongoing socio-cultural metamorphosis, will inevitably influence therapeutic practice. Otherwise, we risk taking too much distance; this would limit the development of a broader and more complete analysis of the challenges to be faced and the potential consequences.

Intimacy of the online therapeutic setting

One of the most sensitive issues in online therapy sessions is the issue of personal intimacy, especially from the patient’s perspective. Where, how, and when to meet are the first issues to be addressed and resolved.

Starting online psychotherapy is a step as important as it is difficult. But it heralds a rewarding endeavor.
The main obstacle when it comes to psychological therapy is the stereotype that tends to attach to those who seek psychotherapy. Deciding to pursue a course of treatment with a psychologist labels the person undergoing it. But the motivations and needs that lead to embarking on this new path can be very varied. And everyone should feel free to disagree with them.

Here, then, is the first – and perhaps the simplest – reason why the online setting It represents something more than a simple “alternative”: it is “the solution.” Many patients feel considerably more “comfortable” doing therapy at home (or in a personally chosen environment) rather than physically going to the therapist’s office or even to a dedicated center. At home, we feel protected, away from prying eyes; at home, or wherever we decide to video-conference with our therapist, it is still a more intimate, more “under control”. This makes the person more open to communication with the therapist and ensures that therapy progresses at a satisfactory pace. Likewise, it might not have been possible to determine whether the patient should have gone to the office or the therapy center.

Those seeking privacy will find it in online therapeutic setting.

So, the need for a software to do online therapy It’s not just for those who have difficulty traveling (due to time or location), or those with mobility issues. In other words, being able to express oneself with a trusted therapist in a decidedly familiar environment (even more so because it’s chosen based on one’s needs) makes the encounter significantly “lighter” in terms of psychological burden. The patient will therefore feel open to a more intimate, freer exchange; precisely because they’ll feel less judged, which is often one of the first barriers to be broken down.

That of the new therapeutic setting in the online therapies It is, therefore, one of the many challenges to face. Perhaps one of the inevitable ones..

All that remains is to define the modus with which to integrate the online mode into daily practice; and it will be essential to choose a software For online therapy suited. Without losing the essential parameters of the method, and by carefully examining the possible therapeutic implications, one will be able to continue one’s own path..

So, to choose the online therapeutic setting most suitable, you will need to click on it!