How technology influences the therapeutic process: evaluation of the patient-therapist relationship in augmented reality exposure therapy and in vivo exposure therapy.

Background: New technologies have slowly become a part of psychologists' therapeutic office. However, many therapists still have doubts about the possibility of creating a good therapeutic relationship with patients in the presence of technology.

Aims: This study evaluates the development of the therapeutic alliance in individuals with small animal phobia disorder who were treated with Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy or In Vivo Exposure Therapy.

Method: Twenty-two participants received an intensive session of cognitive behavioural therapy in either a technology-mediated therapeutic context or in a traditional therapeutic context.

Results: The results show no significant difference for the therapeutic alliance between two conditions.

Conclusions: The results seem to show that technologies such as Augmented Reality do not represent a danger to negatively influence the therapeutic alliance.