PSYCHOTHERAPY SUPERVISION CONDUCTED BY VIDEOCONFERENCING - A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF USERS EXPERIENCES

Psychiatry residents in Norway have 70 hours of mandatory psychotherap y supervision to develop insights into the therapeutic relationship. S ix supervision pairs (six candidates and two supervisors) conducted fi ve videoconferencing-based supervision sessions (384 kbit/s) and five face-to-face sessions alternating weekly for 10 sessions. Following co mpletion of the 10 sessions for candidates and supervisor B, and the 5 0 sessions for supervisor A, all subjects completed a semi-structured interview within two weeks. The eight subjects reported a wide range o f experiences and attitudes. The results suggested that the quality of supervision can be satisfactorily maintained by using videoconferenci ng for up to half of the 70 hours required. The precondition for this estimate is that the pair in question have met face to face and establ ished a relationship characterized by mutual trust and respect. Furthe r studies, which include supervision pairs not having previously estab lished relationships, are needed in order to indicate the generality o f this precondition. The most obvious implication of this study is the potential for implementing decentralized models for recruiting and ed ucating psychiatrists.