Examination of online psychotherapy methods on the basis of different groups (adult, child, adolescent, and family)

Online psychotherapy is a treatment process between the therapist and the client through technological communication channels. Online therapies are very advantageous by being economically more affordable, easily accessible, eliminating the distance between the client and the therapist, and saving time for both parties. As well as face-to-face therapy, online psychotherapies can be used with different groups such as adults, children, adolescents, and families. The interest in online therapies is increasing day by day with the recognition of its positive aspects and its use in our country during the epidemic restrictions. However, comprehensive studies on the effectiveness of online therapies with children, adolescents, and families are limited in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the features of online psychotherapy for various client groups such as children, adolescents, families, and adults; and to reveal the effectiveness of the studies conducted with these groups. Many efficacy studies show that online therapies are effective for adults, children, adolescents, and families. Use of online therapy is rising in Turkey and it is necessary for mental health professionals to follow the development of this method nowadays. In addition, increasing the studies about the efficacy of online psychotherapies in the literature is essential for the improvement of applications in this field.