Exploring the Impact of Therapeutic Presence on Working Alliance in Metaverse Counseling

Bibliographic Data

ID8913611
AuthorsSeongah Im (0000-0001-8447-6484, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), Duckhyun Jo (0000-0002-4101-0753, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), Sang Min Lee (0000-0002-8811-3346, Korea University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume52
Issue5
Pages698-724
Publication date2024-03-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Counseling Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0011-0000 • E-ISSN: 1552-3861
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00110000241234630
OpenAlexW4393160591
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited47

This study investigated the role of a therapeutic presence in metaverse counseling, considering the growing interest in virtual reality psychotherapy. To examine the relationship between therapeutic presence and working alliance over time in metaverse counseling, we conducted a multilevel analysis with sessions at level 1, clients at level 2, and therapists at level 3. The dataset consisted of 75 sessions, nested within 25 clients and seven therapists. The study revealed that therapeutic presence positively affected the working alliance, at the between-sessions (within individual clients) and between-clients levels (across different clients). The findings also indicated that, during the early stages of treatment, a higher level of therapeutic presence in a session was associated with a stronger working alliance for that particular session. The final model explained approximately 45% of the working alliance variance. The implication for the potential influence of a therapeutic presence was discussed particularly during the initial sessions of metaverse counseling

Alliance · Counseling psychology · Metaverse · Psychotherapist · Applied Psychology · Child Therapy and Development · Diverse Approaches in Healthcare and Education Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology

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