• Emily Moore, Catherine Paré, Estelle Carde, and M Gabrielle Pagé.
• Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4, Canada.
• Pain Med. 2024 Feb 1; 25 (2): 131138131-138.

BackgroundVirtual psychotherapy for chronic pain (CP) has been shown to be feasible, efficacious, and acceptable; however, little is known about how virtual delivery of group psychotherapy affects participants' experiences. This study aimed to explore the impact of a virtual medium during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on social interactions and therapeutic processes in the context of group psychotherapy for CP management.MethodsThis qualitative, interview-based study collected data on 18 individuals who participated in virtual group psychotherapy in a tertiary care pain management unit.ResultsResults of the thematic analysis showed 4 themes. First, the ability to participate and connect was modified by not meeting in person. Connections also occurred differently as the usual patterns of interactions changed. Participants described important shifts in how emotions are communicated and subsequent experience of empathy. Finally, the commonality of chronic pain experience was identified as a central driver of connection between participants.ConclusionsMixed impacts of the virtual medium on group psychotherapy dynamics and processes were found. Future research could explore ways to mitigate the negative impacts.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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