Experiential Family Therapy Interventions Delivered Via Telemental Health: A Qualitative Implementation Study

Telemental health is a ubiquitous form of treatment that has been around for over a half-century, but there remains minimal research on videoconferencing and relational therapy. The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify how telemental health therapists would implement experiential interventions for children, couples, and families. Twelve trainees (n = 12) that participated in a yearlong telemental health practicum were prompted on three experiential interventions to understand how students adapt relational interventions for telemental health delivery. Intervention prompts included couple de-escalation, family sculpt, and sand tray. Using thematic analysis, five themes emerged to describe the implementation of the interventions: (a) adapting verbal communication skills, (b) grand expressions: adapting nonverbal communication, (c) additional preparations to facilitate interventions, (d) flexibility, and (e) self-of-the-therapist. Study findings, limitations, and clinical implications are discussed in further detail.