Remote therapy could bring positive outcomes to young people after lockdown, report says

A report, published by charity Youth Access, an umbrella organisation for youth advice and counselling services, recommends a “blended” model of mental health support offering remote interventions alongside face-to-face support.

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Using a more innovative approach incorporating both types of support would help to build a more young person-centred service, giving young people more choice and control, the charity said.

The findings were drawn from an analysis of 50 research studies on remote health interventions carried out across nine countries.

The report highlights key outcomes from young people that accessed remote forms of support including reductions in the severity of clinical symptoms, increased wellbeing and lower levels of suicidality and stigma.

Remote interventions also improved accessibility for those struggling to access face-to-face services, such as young men, young carers, young people with disabilities, those living in remote locations and LGBTQ+ young people.

For many young people, remote support is seen as more accessible than face-to-face services due to its flexible timing, shorter waiting times and the removal of travel time to appointments, the report states.

Young people also felt safer using remote services saying they present less of a risk of stigma and judgement compared to face-to-face sessions, it adds.

Furthermore, an increased confidentiality and anonymity of remote services was valued by young people helping them to feel more in control of the therapeutic relationship.

However, the report warns remote interventions are not suitable for all young people and should not replace face-to-face services.

It cites survey studies that found most young people were interested in trying remote mental health support, however the majority of those attending face-to-face sessions were not comfortable with it being used as a replacement for these services.

It suggests the continued use of remote sessions as a replacement for face-to-face support - a necessary practice introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic - could prove “problematic” for young people.

But it says its review found examples of how remote interventions could allow services to work flexibly and adapt their ways of communication to fit the needs of the young person.

“In this sense, remote interventions, when offered alongside face-to-face support, can help to build a service that is truly young person-centred,” the report concludes.

Dr Karen James, the report’s author and a research officer at the charity, said offering both types of intervention gave young people increased choice and control over the level of engagement they wanted from the service.

It also made services more accessible to those who find it difficult to attend face-to-face support, she said.

Barry William, the charity’s interim chief executive officer, said the last few months had shown how adaptable and innovative the youth advice and counselling sector could be since services had shifted quickly to provide remote support to young people in need.

“As we emerge from lockdown, we have a unique opportunity to build for the future, embedding this innovation to offer what young people have been telling us that they need: a blended model of mental health support that provides remote interventions alongside face-to-face support.

“This report adds to the growing body of evidence that this is the right way forward,” he said.