Online psychotherapy in the Americas: a literature review from 2020 to 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69821/rer.v3i1.25Keywords:
Online psychotherapy, effectiveness, cognitive behavioral therapy, American continentAbstract
This article details a literature review covering the years 2020 to 2025, examining the functionality of online psychotherapy, the therapeutic approach and types of disorders addressed, as well as the advantages, limitations, and/or difficulties of psychotherapy in the virtual environment and the future perspectives of this digital psychological approach. Using a Boolean search system and analytical category parameters, a corpus of 15 articles was compiled from two databases: Scopus and Redalyc. These articles were selected systematically according to inclusion and exclusion criteria specifically designed for this review. Among the key findings is the effectiveness of online psychotherapy in the Americas, particularly in South America. The most frequently addressed disorders were depression and anxiety, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) emerged as the most commonly used therapeutic approach in this virtual setting. Furthermore, it was found that one of the main dilemmas is the development of ethics and psychological professionalization in this modality.
Downloads
References
Andersson, G., Cuijpers, P., Carlbring, P., Riper, H., & Hedman, E. (2014). Guided Internet-based vs. face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy for psychiatric and somatic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Psychiatry, 13(3), 288–295. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20151
Boldrini, T., Schiano Lomoriello, A., Del Corno, F., Lingiardi, V., & Salcuni, S. (2020). Psychotherapy During COVID-19: How the Clinical Practice of Italian Psychotherapists Changed During the Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 591170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591170
Bosbach, k., Schulte, J., & Martin, A. (2025). Exploring the Relevance of Perceived Barriers to Treatment in Adults with Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms: Comparing Psychotherapy and Online Interventions. Scopus, 56(3), 618-633. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2024.10.001
Breslow, A., Lopez, M., Warren, B., Levin, J., Sharma, A., Watnick, D., . . . Bauman, L. (2024). Lessons Learned from a Community-led, Pilot Teletherapy Group for Older Women Living with Depression and HIV. Springer Nature, 28, 4079–4093. Obtenido de https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04468-y
Broering, C. (2024). Children's online care during COVID-19. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapies, 41. doi:https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202441e210042
Carlbring, P., Andersson, G., Cuijpers, P., Riper, H., & Hedman-Lagerlöf, E. (2018). Internet-based vs. face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy for psychiatric and somatic disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 47(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2017.1401115
De Oliveira C. N. ., et al. (2023). Adherence to online psychotherapy during the COVID-19: a scoping review. Psico-USF, 28(1), 117-132. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370035020_Adherence_to_online_psychotherapy_during_the_COVID-19_a_scoping_review
Duffy, M., Boucher, S., & Timulak, L. (2024). The efficacy of humanistic-experiential psychotherapies delivered online: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 64(2), 145–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678231101234
Evans, A. C. Jr. (2024, octubre 1). Psychology’s role in tackling artificial intelligence, misinformation, loneliness, and immigration. Monitor on Psychology, 55(7), p. 10. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/10/psychologists-impact-on-world?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Fernández, J., & Fernández, H. (2021). Videoconferencing Psychotherapy During the Pandemic: Exceptional Times With Enduring Effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.589536
Fernández-Regueras, D., Calero-Elvira, A., Guerrero-Escagedo, M. C. (2023). Comparativa de indicadores clínicos entre terapia presencial y terapia online por videoconferencia: éxito, adherencia al tratamiento y eficiencia. Psicología Conductual / Behavioral Psychology, 31(3), 543–562. Recuperado de Dialnet: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9223587
Ferreira, M. L., Soares, M. C., Ribeiro, N. S., Gumier, A. B., Sousa, I., Fernández-Navarro, P., Sartes, L. M. A., & Gonçalves, M. M. (2021). Innovative moments on online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for alcohol dependence. Análise Psicológica, 2(XXXIX), 171–183. https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.1767
Gordon, S. (2025). Inteligencia artificial y psicología: equilibrando innovación y ética. Psicología Iberoamericana, 33(1). https://www.redalyc.org/journal/1339/133981800007/133981800007.pdf
Guirao Goris, Silamani J. Adolf. (2015). Utilidad y tipos de revisión de literatura. Ene, 9(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1988-348X2015000200002
Han, L., Cao, Y., Xu, Z., & Hayes, S. C. (2022). Effectiveness of internet-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (iACT) for mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 24, 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.05.004
Macías, J. (2025). La Psicoterapia en la Era Digital: Dilemas Éticos y Desafíos Técnicos. Revista de Psicoterapia, 36(131), 93–102. Recuperado de Dialnet: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=9223587
Paz, B. et al. (2022). La perspectiva del paciente sobre la vinculación de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación en psicoterapia. Diversitas: Perspectivas en Psicología, 18(2). https://www.redalyc.org/journal/679/67980081006/
Rodríguez-Ceberio, M., Agostinelli, J., Daverio, R., Benedicto, G., Cocola, F., Jones, G., Calligaro, C., & Díaz-Videla, M. (2021). Psicoterapia online en tiempos de Covid-19: adaptación, beneficios, dificultades. Archivos de Medicina (Col), 21(2). https://www.redalyc.org/journal/2738/273868435022/html/
Rojas-Jara, C., Polanco-Carrasco, R., Caycho-Rodríguez, T., Muñoz-Vega, C., Muñoz-Marabolí, M., Luna-Gómez, T., & Muñoz-Torres, T. (2022). Telepsicología para psicoterapeutas: Lecciones aprendidas en tiempos del COVID-19. Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 31(2), 281–294. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/284/28473668012/
Santos, J. H. C. dos, Sola, P. P. B., Santos, M. A. dos, & Oliveira-Cardoso, É. A. de. (2024). Psicoterapia online durante a fase inicial da pandemia de COVID-19: desafios e benefícios percebidos. Psicologia USP, 35, e230018. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6564e230018
Santos, J. M., Fleck, M. P. A., Teche, S. P., Passos, I. C., Costa, M. H., & Rocha, N. S. (2024). Propiedades psicométricas de un instrumento sobre ventajas y desventajas de la psicoterapia en línea: Resultados preliminares de un estudio piloto multicéntrico. Acta Psychologica, 251, 104566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104566.
Schmitz, G. (2019). Terapia online: una nueva modalidad de intervención psicológica a distancia. Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales (UCES). https://dspace.uces.edu.ar/bitstream/123456789/5941/1/Terapia_Giliane-Schmitz.pdf
Vonderlin, R., Boritz, T., Claus, C., Senyüz, B., Mahalingam, S., Schmelz, J., Knolle-Ventjeer, S., Santangelo, P. S., Ebner-Priemer, U. W., Schmahl, C., Margraf, J., Teismann, T., Lis, S., Kleindienst, N., McMain, S., & Bohus, M. (2025). Trauma-focused dialectical behavior therapy: Study protocol for a randomized controlled multi-center trial in online and face-to-face formats. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 12(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-025-00294-3
Vizza, J., Neufeld, C. B., Aminoff, V., & Andersson, G. (2025). Therapy in the digital age: Exploring in-person and virtual psychotherapy. Internet Interventions, 41, 100854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2025.100854
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Olga Carrillo Mulato, Betsy Carol Mar Fuentes, Daniela Medina Coronado (Autor/a)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
a. The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows third parties to use the published work provided they acknowledge the authorship and the original publication in this journal.
b. Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g., including it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), provided they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to share their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) before and during the manuscript submission process, as this can lead to productive exchanges and increased and faster citation of the published work.