Process of change in a successful case of online psychodynamic therapy
Keywords:
Anxiety disorders, Internet-based intervention, Mental health teletherapy, Outcome and process assessment health care, Psychotherapy, psychodynamicAbstract
The extent of changes produced in online psychodynamic psychotherapy is unknown. This systematic case study aimed to assess change in the online psychodynamic psychotherapy process of a 30-year-old woman with anxiety symptoms. The 24 recorded sessions were analyzed using the Generic Change Indicators method, which describes the patient’s progression of change throughout the psychotherapeutic process, through 19 hierarchical markers. The initial and final sessions of treatment were observed using the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method, which assesses the conflictual relational patterns within the patient’s narratives. Data analysis was descriptive, longitudinal, and comparative. At the end of treatment, the patient achieved high hierarchical levels of change and showed a modification in her relationship pattern. The patient’s subjective and relational changes over the course of treatment are theoretically consistent and comparable to face-to-face therapies. Further studies that assess the change in the online context are suggested.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Betina Capobianco Strassburger, Luan Paris Feijó, Christian Haag Kristensen, Fernanda Barcellos Serralta
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