Open Access Journal
QUALIS
B1
2021-2024
quadriênio
Open Access Journal
B1
2021-2024
quadriênio
A B S T R A C T
Online psychotherapy is defined as a form of psychological care provided at a distance, using exclusively digital means for its delivery. This study explored the challenges and effectiveness of online psychotherapy, a modality driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and authorized by Resolution CFP No. 4/2020 of the Brazilian Federal Council of Psychology (CFP). The objective was to map the main recent academic discussions regarding the challenges and effectiveness of online psychotherapy. A qualitative and exploratory approach was adopted through a literature review of 25 articles published over the past five years, selected from the following databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, and CAPES Journals.The analysis addressed four main dimensions of online psychotherapy: practical challenges, effectiveness factors, comparison with face-to-face therapy, and ethical and technical aspects. The results indicate that although online psychotherapy is accessible and efficient, it faces technical, interpersonal, and ethical challenges. These include the need for a stable internet connection, adaptation to the virtual environment, and limitations in reading nonverbal cues. Nevertheless, online psychotherapy is effective and fully viable. Its benefits include greater accessibility, scheduling flexibility, reduced costs, and fewer geographical barriers. Its effectiveness is equivalent to that of face-to-face therapy, both in clinical outcomes and in the establishment of a solid therapeutic alliance. The study concludes that remote psychotherapy has become established as a promising therapeutic tool and suggests that future research further explore the topic through the collection of primary data, such as questionnaires and interviews.
Keywords: Online psychotherapy; Psychology; Internet; Challenges; COVID-19.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Regilene Cavalcanti Silva, Daniela Costa Carneiro Leal, Kersten Rocha, Rosália Cellis dos Santos