Enhancing therapeutic impact and therapeutic alliance through electronic mail homework assignments

Homework assignments can enhance therapeutic impact and increase therapy effectiveness by encouraging patients to focus on therapy-related issues between sessions. Computer technology provides a new avenue for reporting, monitoring, and feedback of patient homework assignments through electronic mail (e-mail). In two case examples, e-mail was used as an extension of therapy to enhance patient involvement in treatment. In both cases, patient reports suggest that therapeutic alliance and therapeutic impact improved with the use of e-mail homework reporting. The costs and benefits of the use of e-mail as an adjunct to therapy are discussed.