Research article | Open Access
Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 2026, Vol. 7(2) 27-46
Mapping the Landscape of Online Psychological Counseling Research (2010–2026): A Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis
pp. 27 - 46
Publish Date: September 30, 2026 | Single/Total View: 0/0 | Single/Total Download: 0/0
Abstract
Online psychological counseling has expanded rapidly over the past decade, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the intellectual structure and dynamics of the field remain insufficiently mapped. This study provides a bibliometric and science mapping analysis of research on online psychological counseling indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2010 and 2026. A total of 2,733 articles and review articles published in English were retrieved from the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Science Citation Index Expanded, and the Emerging Sources Citation Index, and were analyzed through performance analysis and science mapping using VOSviewer and the bibliometrix package in R. Annual output increased approximately tenfold, from 27 documents in 2010 to a peak of 280 in 2021, followed by a phase of consolidation characterized by stable annual production. The corpus accumulated 75,378 citations, with a mean of 27.6 citations per document. The Journal of Medical Internet Research was the leading source; Andersson, G. was the most productive and the most cited author; Karolinska Institutet was the leading institution; and the United States, Sweden, and Australia were the most productive countries. Approximately 29.5% of the documents were internationally co-authored, and international collaboration was associated with higher citation impact. In the thematic map, author keywords formed six clusters organized around two motor themes—internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and anxiety and its randomized evidence base—alongside a basic and transversal theme on telehealth service delivery, a niche theme on disorder-specific treatments, and peripheral themes addressing child and adolescent applications and evidence synthesis. COVID-19, digital mental health, teletherapy, digital health, artificial intelligence, and machine learning emerged as new themes after 2020. The findings delineate the knowledge base of the field, identify its most influential actors, and highlight directions for future research, counselor education, and digital mental health policy.
Keywords: online psychological counseling, telepsychology, bibliometric analysis, science mapping, VOSviewer
APA 7th edition
Tunc, E. (2026). Mapping the Landscape of Online Psychological Counseling Research (2010–2026): A Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis. Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 7(2), 27-46.
Harvard
Tunc, E. (2026). Mapping the Landscape of Online Psychological Counseling Research (2010–2026): A Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis. Base for Electronic Educational Sciences, 7(2), pp. 27-46.
Chicago 16th edition
Tunc, Erhan (2026). "Mapping the Landscape of Online Psychological Counseling Research (2010–2026): A Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis". Base for Electronic Educational Sciences 7 (2):27-46.
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