The project E(f)FECTS of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra has received a collaborativeaward of research from the prestigious Society for Psychotherapy Research to evaluate the efficacy of telematic couple therapy. Specifically, the project will focus on what is known asemotionally focused coupletherapy in Spanish-speaking couples.

According to Martiño Rodríguez-González, researcher principal of project, 'teletherapy' has grown a lot in recent years, experiencing a big boost after the pandemic. However, the research on the impact of the online application in couple therapy is very scarce. Thus, together with Shayne Anderson, from Brigham Young University (USA), he will contrast the experience of 15 couples in online therapy with 15 couples who will visit a enquiry in person.

A previous research of the ICS, developed in the last year, leads the expert to point out that, although the Internet facilitates access to therapy and avoids the risks related to the pandemic, 'teletherapy' also alters the context of consultations. For example, Rodríguez-González points out that, through the screen, it is very easy to miss non-verbal communication and the lack of physical proximity conditions the therapist's work when it comes to regulating interactions in the session. In addition, it could generate a cold and distant image of the professional and this "could have implications in the context of Spanish speakers, where the physical contact has great cultural relevance," he says. 

The research, which will run from September 2021 to August 2022, is part of the project E(f)FECTS of the ICS. This project is the first randomized clinical essay in emotion-focused couple therapy in Spanish-speaking countries. This modality therapy has had broad empirical support in the United States and Canada.

The Society for Psychotherapy Research is the world's most prestigious international scientific body in the field of research on psychotherapeutic processes. Its goal is to support the development of the research in psychotherapy and to encourage both empirical and applied research in this field.