Frequently Asked Questions:
1. is video psychotherapy/counseling effective?
A systematic review published in 2012 (Backhaus, Agha, Maglione, Repp, Ross, et. Al, 2012) concluded that videoconferencing psychotherapy has been used in a variety of therapeutic formats and with diverse populations, is generally associated with good user satisfaction, and is found to have similar clinical outcomes to traditional face-to-face psychotherapy.
Here are more research results about the effectiveness of videoconferencing psychotherapy for specific conditions:
OCD:
One randomized control study in 2014 (Vogel, Solem, Hagen, Moen, Launes, et al., 2014) showed that the outcomes of videoconference ERP were similar that of regular face-to-face ERP and improvements in symptom scores remained stable at follow up.
PTSD:
A review published in 2015 (Bolton, Dorstyn, 2015) concluded that based on the combined results from 11 studies, telepsychology treatment of PTSD had medium to large improvements (d range = .66-3.22) in cognitive and behavioral symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, and posttraumatic stress.
A study published in 2014 (Zheng & Gray, 2014) showed that videoconferencing therapy is effective for two Mandarin speaking clients’ PTSD who lived in a rural area. Not only was therapy effective in reducing the severity of PTSD and depressive symptoms for both clients, but treatment gains were also maintained for 4 months following therapy.
Panic Disorder:
A study in 2004 (Bouchard, Paquin, Payeur, Allard, Rivard, et al., 2004) showed that CBT delivered by videoconference was as effective as CBT delivered face-to-face.
Depression:
A randomized control study published in 2010 (Hollingshurst, Peters, Kaur, Wiles, Lewis, et al., 2010) showed that Online CBT delivered by a therapist in real time is likely to be cost-effective compared with usual care.
Another randomized control study published in 2010 (Warmerdam, van Straten, Jongsma, Twisk & Cuijpers, 2010) showed that both online cognitive behavioral therapy and online problem-solving therapy were more effective than the control group in reducing dysfunctional attitudes, worry, negative problem orientation and enhancing feelings of control.
Working Alliance:
A study published in 2016 (Reese, Mecham, Vasilj, Lengerich & Brown, 2016) used randomised block design and concluded that the technology-mediated (videoconferencing and telephonic) psychotherapy processes of empathic accuracy and therapeutic alliance seem to be similar to in-person psychotherapy.
References:
Backhaus, A., Agha, Z., Maglione, M. L., Repp, A.,Ross, B., Zuest, D., Rice-Thorp, N. M., Lohr, J., & Thorp, S. R. (2012). Videoconferencing Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review. Psychological Services, Vol. 9, Iss. 2, 111-131.
Bolton, A. J., & Dorstyn, D. S. (2015). Telepsychology for posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 21(5), 254-267.
Bouchard, S., Paquin, B., Payeur, R., Allard, M., Rivard, V., Fournier T, Renaud P, & Lapierre J. (2004). Delivering cognitive-behavior therapy for panic disorder with agoraphobia in videoconference. Telemedicine Journal and e-Health, 10(1), 13-24.
Hollinghurst, S., Peters, T. J., Kaur, S., Wiles, N., Lewis, G., & Kessler D., (2010). Cost-effectiveness of therapist-delivered online cognitive–behavioural therapy for depression: Randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 197(4), 297-304.
Reese, R.J., Mecham, M.R., Vasilj, I., Lengerich, A.J., Brown, H.M., Simpson, N.B., & Newsome, B.D. (2016). The effects of telepsychology format on empathic accuracy and the therapeutic alliance: An analogue counselling session. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. 16(4): 256–265.
Vogel, P., Solem, S., Hagen, K., Moen, E. M., Launes, G., Haland A.T., Hansen, B., & Himle, J.A. (2014). A pilot randomized controlled trial of videoconference-assisted treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 63, 162-168.
Warmerdam, L., van Straten, A., Jongsma, J., Twisk, J., & Cuijpers, P. (2010). Online cognitive behavioral therapy and problem-solving therapy for depressive symptoms: Exploring mechanisms of change. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 41 (1), 64-70.
Zheng, P., & Gray, M. (2014). Telehealth-Based Therapy Connecting Rural Mandarin-Speaking Traumatized Clients with a Mandarin-Speaking Therapist. Clinical Case Studies, 13 (6), 514-527.
2. how is my privacy protected?
Every possible measure is taken by Dr. Lian to protect your privacy. Dr. Lian is regulated by California Board of Psychology and American Psychological Association to protect clients' privacy and keep their information confidential. Dr. Lian has a business associate agreement with Securevideo.com, in which Securevideo.com guarantees to protect each client's information according to HIPAA standards. Any records kept by Dr. Lian about clients have multiple layers of locks and encryptions.
3. what is hipaa?
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is a federal law that gives you rights over your health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information. Please feel free to go to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to learn more about your rights protected by HIPAA: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html.