Psychotherapy in the Digital Age: Ethical Dilemmas and Technical Challenges in Contemporary Clinical Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/rdp.v36i131.44546Keywords:
Applied Philosophy, Online Psychotherapy, Review, Methodological Limitations, BenefitsAbstract
Background and Objectives: Online psychotherapy is becoming a widely adopted modality, driven by the digitalization of psychological services and the rise of digital nomadism. However, its effectiveness and empirical validity require continuous and rigorous evaluation. This study offers a critical analysis of online psychotherapy from both methodological and philosophical perspectives, incorporating the "question of technology" as formulated by Ortega y Gasset, Heidegger, Marcuse, Jonas, Popper, and others. The objective is to assess under what conditions this modality can be considered a clinically effective means, thus preventing its transformation into an end in itself at the expense of market-driven interests.
Method: A critical review of recent literature was conducted, focusing on meta-analyses and systematic reviews indexed in JCR databases that examine the effectiveness of online psychotherapy. Ethical and epistemological implications were also explored through a philosophical and clinical lens.
Results: Although online psychotherapy offers significant advantages in terms of accessibility and continuity of care, substantial methodological limitations remain, including the scarcity of randomized controlled trials with robust designs and challenges in establishing a strong therapeutic alliance
Conclusions: Online psychotherapy should be understood as a means or technological resource (setting) that, to achieve clinical validity, must be embedded in an idiographic practice grounded in empirical evidence and guided by clearly defined ethical principles. As philosophical guidance, the study revisits concepts such as Aristotelian phronesis and the prudence of Baltasar Gracián to promote an ethically responsible and quality-centered model of online psychotherapy.
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