Abstract
The use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has enabled many professionals to continue to provide their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the adoption of ICTs by psychologists and the impact of such technologies on their practice. This study aimed to explore psychologists’ practices related with the use of ICTs before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, to identify the main changes that the pandemic has brought and the impact that such changes have had on their practice with clients, and also identify the factors that potentially have affected such changes. The Portuguese Psychologists Association announced the study, and 108 psychologists responded to an online survey during the mandatory lockdown. The results showed that these professionals continued to provide their services due to having adopted ICTs. Comparing with face-to-face interventions, psychologists recognized that additional precautions/knowledge were needed to use such technologies. Despite the challenges identified, they described the experience with the use of ICTs as positive, meeting clients’ adherence, and yielding positive results. Psychologists with the most years of professional experience maintained their services the most, but those with average experience showed the most favorable attitudes toward the use of technologies and web-based interventions.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 7663 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-24 |
Number of pages | 24 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 20 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Oct 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
- Digital information and communication technologies
- Digital literacy
- Psychological counseling
- Therapy