Communication Adaptation and Relationship Development in Virtual Groups for Youth and Families

Abstract

Virtual group therapy offers multiple unique advantages to improving access to mental health care for Canadian youth and families. However, virtual environments may hinder the development of the type of relationships within groups that promote positive treatment outcomes. The present study explores the extent to, and ways in which, service providers working in the youth and family mental health sector in Eastern Ontario adapt to the unique characteristics of virtual environments in order to communicate effectively and develop therapeutic relationships. Secondary quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using a mixed-methods design. Survey responses (n = 58) and interview recordings (n =12) collected from service providers involved in the delivery of virtual groups for youth and families in response to COVID-19 were analyzed using a concurrent triangulation design. Descriptive statistics indicate service providers achieved moderate satisfaction regarding their ability to communicate and develop relationships within virtual groups, and that this ability was perceived as approximating in-person processes. Thematic analysis suggests that while virtual group environments involve unique challenges and and elevated complexity, facilitators adapt to virtual delivery by both employing diverse strategies and accepting certain limitations. The present study suggests that the unique challenges and complexities involved in virtual group-based therapy need not deter the implementation of virtual groups as a means of better addressing the mental health needs of Canadian youth and families.