Psychotherapy supervision conducted by videoconferencing: a qualitative study of users' experiences

Psychiatry residents in Norway have 70 hours of mandatory psychotherapy supervision to develop insights into the therapeutic relationship. Six supervision pairs (six candidates and two supervisors) conducted five videoconferencing-based supervision sessions (384 kbit/s) and five face-to-face sessions alternating weekly for 10 sessions. Following completion of the 10 sessions for candidates and supervisor B, and the 50 sessions for supervisor A, all subjects completed a semi-structured interview within two weeks. The eight subjects reported a wide range of experiences and attitudes. The results suggested that the quality of supervision can be satisfactorily maintained by using videoconferencing 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 established a relationship characterized by mutual trust and respect. Further studies, which include supervision pairs not having previously established relationships, are needed in order to indicate the generality of this precondition. The most obvious implication of this study is the potential for implementing decentralized models for recruiting and educating psychiatrists.