Needs analysis for the design of a digital platform to train professionals in online family intervention through live supervision of real cases

Purpose: Mental health professionals undergo continuous training throughout their careers. Their training consists in part of the supervision of cases by an entire healthcare team, a practice that allows them to consolidate their understanding of behaviour, emotions and to enhance their relationships with patients and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on this training methodology, leading to a significant increase in the use of digital platforms, but such digital tools are not well adapted to this context, especially when it comes to the supervision of real online cases. The goals of this study are: (1) to analyse what professionals need in order to carry out online interventions and training through the live supervision of real online cases and (2) to create a prototype of a specific digital platform intended to help meet the detected needs. Methods: 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with supervisors (N = 14) and professionals in training (N = 14). Results: The results have allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the difficulties and benefits that professionals are encountering when doing online live supervision using the existing video conference platforms. Conclusion: This analysis points to a need to create a platform that can overcome the difficulties and enhance the benefits of the digitalization of family intervention training through the live supervision of real cases. These specific needs have yet to be addressed by existing digital platforms.