Evaluations issued by Members of the Psychology Profession in Costa Rica on their Therapeutic Skills and Techniques for Practicing Individual Clinical Psychotherapy by means of Information and Communication Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22544/rcps.v42i01.04

Keywords:

Best Practices, Therapy-oriented Telepsychology, Therapist Skills, Virtualization in Psychotherapy

Abstract

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the virtualization of psychological care grew rapidly in Costa Rica, parallel to the expansion of regulation for this modality in the Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica. The objective of this article is to identify the appraisals of Costa Rican psychology professionals regarding their abilities to practice individual clinical psychotherapy by means of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Through the completion of a self-administered online questionnaire, professionals were consulted about the strategies, tools and skills that they put into play during the use of ICTs in their psychotherapeutic practice, narrating deeply important experiences, presenting key learnings and above all, making visible the absence of a consensus and clarity regarding the best practices for use in this modality. The main recommendation emanating from this process is to promote to the maximum continuing-education on the topic of therapist skills, especially those that may not be used regularly during a remote consultation, such as observation and comprehensive clinical examination.

Author Biography

Jose Andrés González Miranda, Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica. San José, Costa Rica.

Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Costa Rica with experience in scientific research in clinical projects on neuropsychology, as well as in educational evaluation and psychometrics, in public and private research institutes. Currently, he works as Prosecutor's Office in the College of Professionals in Psychology of Costa Rica. He has participated as a speaker in national and international conferences on issues related to telepsychology and the professional practice of psychology. He has collaborated with Spanish teams of Scientific Psychology and with professionals of Agronomic Sciences in projects on the human-animal bond.

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Published

2023-06-30

How to Cite

González Miranda, J. A. (2023). Evaluations issued by Members of the Psychology Profession in Costa Rica on their Therapeutic Skills and Techniques for Practicing Individual Clinical Psychotherapy by means of Information and Communication Technologies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Costa Rican Journal of Psychology, 42(1), 65–80. https://doi.org/10.22544/rcps.v42i01.04