Understanding How the COVID-19 Lockdown Practice Adaptations Were Experienced by Counselling Psychologists in the United Kingdom: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Research on counselling psychologists adapting their working practices during a health crisis is rare. Informed by existing literature on past and present epidemics and pandemics, the aim of this qualitative research was therefore to provide a novel perspective on the experiences of counselling psychologists adapting their practice from home during government-imposed lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to analyse data obtained from six counselling psychologists who described their experiences during individual, one-to-one semi-structured interviews conducted online via Microsoft Teams. The analysis identified four Group Experiential Themes (GETs): ‘intense emotional reaction’, ‘newness’, ‘the experience of multiple losses’, and ‘gains’.

The first GET indicates that participants experienced intense emotional challenges linked to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, the shift to remote work, and the merging of home and work domains. The second GET captures the experiences of counselling psychologists who felt unprepared and encountered challenges in transitioning to remote work from home such as setting up appropriate home offices, navigating online therapy platforms and coping with technological limitations. Additionally, they underwent shifts in the quality and nature of the therapeutic relationship. These challenges engendered concerns about professionalism, confidentiality and work-life balance, causing the participants significant distress. In addition, they sometimes resulted in burnout and difficulties in maintaining professional and personal boundaries.

The third GET encapsulates the multiple losses experienced by counselling psychologists whilst navigating COVID-19 practice adaptations: the loss of social connections and increased isolation, the absence of traditional in-person therapy delivery, the intermittent loss of psychological intervention, and the shift in the expert role in the therapeutic relationship. The latter engendered self-doubt and insecurities among counselling psychologists, causing them to experience high levels of distress.

The fourth GET reflects not only participants’ experience of a positive transformation through COVID-19 lockdown practice adaptation, but also their discovery of positive aspects of online working as time progressed. For instance, counselling psychologists valued the acquisition of new skills which helped them embrace and accept remote work, especially the hybrid therapy delivery model which offered advantages such as effectiveness, flexibility, efficiency and accessibility. All participants demonstrated adaptability and embraced new working norms whilst prioritising self-care, self-compassion and self-awareness. They displayed resilience and experienced post-traumatic growth. This journey led to personal and professional development, fostering a sense of professional empowerment among the participants which, in turn, cultivated a greater appreciation for remote work.

At an organisational level, to provide relevant support and learn from individual experiences, I have proposed recommendations for supervisors and managers to assist counselling psychologists in managing their emotional challenges during remote work, delivering therapy amidst technology issues, and maintaining online boundaries, confidentiality, and risk management. Additionally, psychology regulatory bodies and training providers should offer training to both existing and new counselling psychologists in effective online therapy delivery to prepare them for hybrid work settings and potential future health crises that may necessitate adapting their practice. To inform guidelines, one suggestion I have made is to research how counselling psychologists experienced growth during their adaptation to remote practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. This involves exploring factors, both personal and professional, that contribute to their post-traumatic growth.