Cohesion (chemistry)

Pathology

Organic chemistry

Disease

PsycINFO

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Group psychotherapy

Medical education

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Psychotherapist

World Wide Web

Political science

Psychology

Chemistry

Online research methods

MEDLINE

Online discussion

Alliance

Computer science

Medicine

Group Dynamics Theory Research and Practice

Background: Online group therapy is a relatively new modality for leading groups null There is not enough research yet to evaluate its effectiveness and no clear guidelines about how to do it well null With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic it became even more crucial to provide clinicians with appropriate research review and practical guidelines null The purpose of this article was to provide practice recommendations based on or despite the limited research null Method: The article reviewed research on online therapy in general, including any on groups, followed by a summary of the obstacles in leading groups online and recommendations for creative solutions null Findings: Research on online groups is still scarce, and its quality still has many limitations null Discussion: More research is needed, especially on specific elements in online group therapy, such as the establishing of cohesion and therapeutic presence online, as well as how different the working alliance and cohesion are created online when compared to face-to-face groups null Despite limited research, the author recommends being more active and increasing self-disclosure in online groups to compensate for the challenge of being present and the lack of body-to-body interaction null Training for online group therapy is necessary null (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Highlights and Implications-*Two of the ingredients of the therapeutic alliance, agreeing on the goals and tasks, can easily be achieved in online groups null The third one, the quality of relationship, is still questionable null *The absence of body-to-body interaction in online groups may be considered the main obstacle in shifting from the circle to the screen null The absence of eye contact is especially relevant for group therapists null *Presence is difficult to achieve through screen relations null There are too many distractions null Increasing the group therapist's self-disclosure and encouraging group members to use their imagination may be of help null *Moving from in-person to online group therapy requires knowledge and training, just as when moving from individual therapy to group therapy null (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Online group psychotherapy: Challenges and possibilities during COVID-19—A practice review.