Vol. 35 of Prof. Kawai’s Essay Series in Minerva Correspondence: Kiwameru was Published

A new installment in Professor Toshio Kawai’s essay series, “Kokoro’s Forefront and the Layers of History” was published in the July 2019 issue of Minerva Correspondence: Kiwameru.

The theme of this month’s essay was psychotherapy and the internet.

The author discusses changes in psychotherapy that have arisen due to advances in modern technology, such as the recent rise in online therapy, which enables clients to receive psychotherapy at home or in their workplace.

Previously, online psychotherapy had been used for training psychotherapists, with psychotherapists consulting with analysts living in remote areas that are difficult to repeatedly visit. Thus, online therapy session also enable psychotherapy to occur across states and countries. However, the author states that it is necessary to consider the qualifications of psychotherapists who conduct sessions online and how to deal with ethical and legal issues.

He also argues that it is possible that people opt for using online therapy even when they are close enough to physically visit their therapist. In such cases, important parts of therapy are lost, such as the psychological protection of clients (e.g., removing themselves from daily life, discussing secrets and deep thoughts in the privacy of the session room) and reflecting on oneself or on what happened during the session on the way to and from psychotherapy. Given that psychotherapy establishes a fixed place for clients when they take the time to go there, advances in technology are bringing significant changes in psychotherapy.

(Reported by：Hisae Konakawa, Program-Specific Research Fellow)

2019/08/28