Virtual Psychosocial Support

Psychosocial support aims to improve caregivers’ quality of life by helping them overcome emotional, social, or relational challenges encountered in their caregiving role. Today, remote intervention methods are expanding (videoconferencing, chat, text messaging, etc.).

Discover the uses and benefits of digital technologies in psychosocial support.

The Benefits of Digital Tools in Psychosocial Support

The use of digital technology in psychosocial support offers benefits for both users and the organizations (managers and practitioners) providing the service.

Facilitate Help-Seeking

Benefit for the User

Seeking help can be challenging. Making first contact with an organization may feel overwhelming. While some people prefer to use the phone, others may feel more comfortable communicating in writing. This is one of the reasons why many organizations accept help requests by email, chat, text messages, or through social media platforms (such as Meta/Facebook and Instagram). This allows caregivers to contact an organization when it is convenient for them and without their support network being aware.

Caution: An organization may set up a system to receive help requests through various virtual communication channels without necessarily offering psychosocial support activities through those same channels. For example, an organization may accept help requests through Messenger but then continue the intervention by phone or invite the person to join an in-person support group. It is therefore important to distinguish between using digital tools to facilitate help-seeking and using digital tools to deliver an intervention activity.

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Improve Service Accessibility

Benefits for the Organization

Offering online psychosocial support activities allows an organization to reduce certain logistical constraints related to transportation, as well as limitations associated with the physical environment where these activities traditionally take place.

For example, an organization serving a growing number of individuals does not necessarily have the ability to expand its physical space. Two support groups cannot take place simultaneously in the same physical room, but an organization can offer multiple online activities and/or a combination of online and in-person activities at the same time.

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Diversify Service Offerings for Caregivers

Benefits for Service Users

Digital technology makes it possible to diversify the ways psychosocial support is offered to caregivers (videoconferencing, chat, text messaging, in addition to in-person and telephone support) and to accommodate a greater number of people with diverse profiles and life circumstances.

Service users appreciate having a choice of intervention formats.

It is also important to keep in mind that an advantage perceived by some may represent a disadvantage for others. For example, a caregiver participating in a videoconference-based psychosocial support activity may feel more comfortable at home, in a familiar and safe environment, than in a community organization’s facilities. However, the home environment is not favourable for everyone (e.g., challenging relationship dynamics, presence of noisy children, etc.).

Therefore, implementing a hybrid service model that offers both remote and in-person support based on users’ needs is encouraged.

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Julie Bickerstaff

Director, Info-Aidant and Knowledge Transfer, L’Appui pour les proches aidants

Certain groups, such as young caregivers, are more likely to use digital channels to initiate a request for support.

Potential Risks and Limitations

The use of digital technology in psychosocial support also involves certain risks and drawbacks, particularly related to the digital divide, confidentiality concerns, resistance to change, communication challenges, and more.

How can we take advantage of digital technology while minimizing its potential negative impacts?

Resources to Explore

L’intervention psychosociale à distance dans les services de première ligne offerts aux hommes : Quelles sont les bonnes pratiques?

Pôle d’expertise et de recherche en santé et bien-être des hommes

Access the Research Report launch

Utilisation de la vidéoconférence auprès d'aînés. Résumé des bonnes pratiques en contexte d'interventions de groupe à visée psychosociale

Centre de recherche et d'expertise en gérontologie sociale (CREGÉS)

Access the Document launch