How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affects the Provision of Psychotherapy: Results from Three Online Surveys on Austrian Psychotherapists

Stefanie Winter, Andrea Jesser, Thomas Probst, Yvonne Schaffler, Ida-Maria Kisler, Barbara Haid, Christoph Pieh and Elke Humer ()
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Stefanie Winter: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Andrea Jesser: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Thomas Probst: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Yvonne Schaffler: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Ida-Maria Kisler: ABILE-Viktor Frankl Education Austria, 3390 Melk, Austria
Barbara Haid: Austrian Federal Association for Psychotherapy, 1030 Vienna, Austria
Christoph Pieh: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Elke Humer: Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: This study aimed to assess patient numbers and the format in which psychotherapy was delivered by Austrian psychotherapists during different time points of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore psychotherapists` experiences on pandemic-associated changes in their psychotherapeutic work as well as their wishes for support in their professional activities. Three cross-sectional online surveys were conducted between March 2020 and May 2022. The total number of participating psychotherapists was n = 1547 in 2020, n = 238 in 2021, and n = 510 in 2022. The number of patients treated was highest in 2022 and lowest at the beginning of the pandemic ( p < 0.001). During the lockdown in 2020, only 25.0% of patients were treated in personal contact. This proportion increased in the following years, reaching 86.9% in 2022 ( p < 0.001). After a substantial increase in the proportion of patients treated via the telephone and internet during the first lockdown, both proportions decreased during the pandemics’ second and third year ( p < 0.001). However, a larger proportion of patients were treated via the internet in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic times ( p < 0.001). Psychotherapists reported that the pandemic affected mainly the setting in which psychotherapy was provided (29.6%), the working conditions and workload (27.1%), as well as the demand for psychotherapy (26.9%). About one-third of psychotherapists expressed support wishes for their psychotherapeutic work. Results suggest that the pandemic went along with a partial shift in the provision of psychotherapy towards psychotherapy via the internet but not the telephone. The increase in patient numbers and psychotherapists` reports of increased workload suggest a rise in the demand for mental health care during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; psychotherapy; teletherapy; remote psychotherapy; patient numbers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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