Zoom-Therapy: New setting revealed- 3 year's of experience follow-up

---

Anat Ben-Salmon and Ofer Erez

Center for Practical Professional Training, Israel

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

---

The Covid - 19 pandemic has brought extreme changes which forced all of us to make adaptations in almost every domain of our daily lives, both at home and in our workplace. World population was forced to adjust too many challenging changes in a very short period of time. One of the critical ones was physical social distancing. Psychotherapy is one of the professional fields which is based upon and anchored in the great impact that open and trusting relationships has on the psychological wellbeing of an individual. In psychotherapy, until the outburst of the pandemic, this relationship was created in a safe space of the clinic. This space was provided by the therapist, to enable growth and development of the therapeutic relationship. The profession which is based on a face to face interaction in a safe space that the clinical setting provided was challenged by the world pandemic. Therapists were forced to decide quickly how to continue to provide psychological help at a time in which it was needed more than ever. They were offered to do this in a different setting which was facilitated by technology, and differed greatly from what traditional psychotherapy was meant to be. 3 years after the pandemic intruded our lives and minds, understandings gathered from the transition of the therapeutic encounter from the face to face to the “zoom” video setting of the therapeutic encounter are offered. Surprisingly, following the remission of the pandemic and the possibility to return to the classical setting, many people still prefer to utilize the online therapy. Understandings related to the advantages and challenges of these transitions are discussed.

Biography

---

Anat Ben-Salmon serves as the chairman of the Israeli Parental Counseling and Family Counseling Association. Over the past three years, together with Ofer Erez, Anat has broadcast a weekly radio show and has daily live broadcasts on social media networks, discussing mental health topics. Anat has published several academic publications in the last year and is involved in ongoing research of her practice. She serves on the editorial board of “Clinical images and case reports journal”.Anat has more than 16 years of practical experience working with children, adolescents and parents. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a therapist in the Welfare Ministry and served as a group therapist in a Mental health hospital in Ottawa, Canada. Anat is the co-manager of Kelim Shiluvim L.T.D (established in 2006) that specialises in diagnosis and therapy and for individuals and families in both clinical and home settings and has treated hundreds of couples and families.