Clients experience of video recordings of their psychotherapy

Background: Due to the development of technologies and the low costs video recording of psychotherapy sessions have gained ground in training and supervision. While some praise the advantages others decline to use this technological aid for ethical, theoretical or clinical reasons. Despite the current relatively widespread use video one finds only a very limited numbers empirical study of how these recordings is experienced by the clients.
Aim: After a brief discussion of the pro and cons of the use of video recordings this paper presents a qualitative, explorative study of clients’ experiences of having their psychotherapy sessions video recorded and presented in supervision.
Methods: In all 25 clients receiving brief psychodynamic outpatient treatment in a university clinic setting filled out a questionnaire containing eight open ended questions concerning the influence of the video recordings. The answers were analyzed in accordance with Hill et al.’s (2005) guidelines for consensual qualitative research. Furthermore, subjects rated the overall influence on their therapy on a nine point Likert scale.
Results: Categorization and frequencies of how clients across time and in certain situations experience the influence of video recordings on their therapy, on their relationship therapist and their conceptions of the supervisor and her thought of them. (The analysis will be finished in the middle of December).
Discussion: The validity, reliability, and limitations of the study will be discussed along practical and theoretical implications.