| Abstract [eng] |
Umantaitė, G. (2026). The experiences of psychotherapists and their psychological well-being in remote psychotherapy. Master‘s Thesis. Vilnius University. 73 pages. Remote psychotherapy became widespread and firmly established in the labor market during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lockdown period, remote working conditions and the psychological well-being of psychotherapists were extensively studied in the literature. As the world has returned to its normal routine, it is important to better understand how and why psychotherapists continue to work remotely when social isolation is no longer in effect, and how such working conditions affect their psychological well-being both within and outside the workplace. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences psychotherapists undergo while counseling clients remotely and how this impacts their psychological well-being. The study involved 7 women (aged 32–52) who have been counseling one or more clients remotely for 2 or more years. Data collected through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. During the data analysis, 3 main themes and 16 subthemes were identified. Main themes: 1) Specifics of the virtual office: environment, methods, and tools; 2) Peculiarities of interaction with the client in a digital environment; 3) Psychological well-being in remote practice. The results provided a better understanding of the remote counseling experiences of female psychotherapists in the Lithuanian context. The findings highlighted a lack of prior preparation for remote work and a shortage of digital tools in the country, as well as new, unforeseen challenges when working in a home environment and counseling clients at a distance. Simultaneously, newly opened opportunities emerged, such as the ability to work flexibly, attract more clients, and regulate workload. These aspects have both positive and negative impacts on the psychological well-being of psychotherapists. This study demonstrated that a psychotherapist's work experience in a remote format encompasses not only clinical but also organizational aspects; therefore, psychological well-being should be evaluated within a broader context related to working conditions and professional activities. Keywords: remote psychotherapy, psychological well-being, remote therapy methods, psychotherapists' remote work environment, professional isolation, qualitative research. |
