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Online counseling: The good, the bad, and the possibilities
Counselling Psychology Quarterly
Abstract
Online counseling is becoming more and more pervasive. Some see this trend as positive while others are concerned with the quality and ethical issues related to providing counseling online. This article reviews the pros and cons of providing counseling services online, and whether practitioners and researchers are for or against such practice. It recognizes that it is not only occurring, but it also will likely increase in prevalence regardless of the potential drawbacks. The case is made that since it is here to stay, we should study the phenomenon because, good or bad, it provides a unique opportunity to study counseling and psychotherapy.
... However, downsides also exist to adopting online counseling. The most important one identified is the lack of non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and voice tone (Baker & Ray, 2011;Liess, Simon, Yutsis, Owen, Altree-Piemme, Golant & Giese-Davis, 2008). This was reported to lead to difficulty in establishing strong therapeutic alliances between the counselor and the client (Rochlen, Zack, & Speyer, 2004;Cook & Doyle, 2002). ...
... However, Alleman (2002) considered non-verbal cues a necessity in counseling relationships, while Altman and Taylor (1973) stressed the importance of non-verbal cues and messages in developing intimacy and, in particular, the counseling relationship. Also, Poh-li, Jaladin, and Abdullah (2013) posited that the lack of non-verbal cues can result in a more significant potential for miscommunication or misinterpretation (Baker &Ray, 2011). ...
... Conversely, Cook and Doyle (2002) reported that respondents in their study claimed that despite the absence of non-verbal cues, they still experienced a stronger alliance with their online therapist, such that a strong therapeutic alliance was effectively established. Baker and Ray (2011) surmised that favorable characteristics of text-based communication may have partially offset the nonverbal cues drawback. They argued that clients who contact via email can disclose at an accelerated rate and that online support groups may have a disinhibiting effect. ...
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to stress the increasing imperativeness of counseling and psychotherapy in Nigerian universities, given the growing, strident, and persistent reports of maladaptive behaviors such as suicidal ideation and behaviors among university students.Method - The study employed the method of informed arguments to present online counseling as a veritable tool to assist the universities in linking the undergraduates with the sources of counseling and psychotherapy with the view to promoting their self-consciousness, self-understanding, and adequate mental health needed to develop top-level human resources.Result - It shares the experiences of online counseling interactions obtained from the Obafemi Awolowo University online counseling platform.Implication - Recommendations are also made to guide other universities in Nigeria and similar climes as to establishing their home-grown platform or sharing in the use of the existing dedicated platforms.Originality - The paper is one of the earliest to present an argument for including online counseling services in the systems of universities, particularly in the developing world. It is also the first to present a report of practical experiences garnered in such an established service in a Nigerian University to guide the establishment of more of such in other universities.***Tujuan - Tujuan dari makalah ini adalah untuk menekankan meningkatnya ketidaktegasan konseling dan psikoterapi di universitas-universitas di Nigeria, mengingat laporan yang terus meningkat, keras, dan terus-menerus mengenai perilaku maladaptif seperti ide dan perilaku bunuh diri di kalangan mahasiswa.Metode - Penelitian ini menggunakan metode argumen yang terinformasi untuk menyajikan konseling online sebagai alat yang tepat untuk membantu universitas dalam menghubungkan mahasiswa dengan sumber-sumber konseling dan psikoterapi dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan kesadaran diri, pemahaman diri, dan kesehatan mental yang memadai yang diperlukan untuk mengembangkan sumber daya manusia tingkat atas.Hasil - Penelitian ini membagikan pengalaman interaksi konseling online yang diperoleh dari platform konseling online Universitas Obafemi Awolowo.Implikasi - Rekomendasi juga dibuat untuk memandu universitas lain di Nigeria dan negara lain yang memiliki iklim yang sama untuk membangun platform buatan sendiri atau berbagi penggunaan platform khusus yang sudah ada.Keaslian - Makalah ini adalah salah satu yang paling awal yang menyajikan argumen untuk memasukkan layanan konseling online ke dalam sistem universitas, terutama di negara berkembang. Makalah ini juga merupakan yang pertama yang menyajikan laporan tentang pengalaman praktis yang diperoleh dari layanan yang sudah mapan di Universitas Nigeria untuk memandu pendirian layanan serupa di universitas lain.
... Telemental-health may therefore provide a path to specialist healthcare for disadvantaged families and reduce the burden of health inequality caused by lack of resources for those living in rural areas of the UK. On the other hand, prominent ethical concerns have emerged regarding the negative impact of remote therapy on factors such as confidentiality, risk, and interpreting non-verbal cues [8,11]. Ensuring confidentiality throughout a remote therapy session or encouraging a flowing conversation with slow internet connections adds a new layer of complexity to the role of the therapist. ...
... Parents unanimously identified body language as a crucial factor in DDP sessions and all but one family felt their ability to observe and react to non-verbal cues was compromised online. This view aligns with various studies into teletherapy which identify lack of non-verbal cues as a negative aspect of remote therapy [9,11]. In DDP, great emphasis is placed on non-verbal communication as it is essential for building an affectively attuned therapeutic relationship which encourages the child to feel at ease to explore their past [64]. ...
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is a family-based therapy for adopted children aiming to achieve secure attachment between the child and parent. Due to restrictions under the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of DDP transitioned from face-to-face to online methods. This study aimed to explore families experience of online DDP compared to face-to-face DDP, looking at the advantages and disadvantages of remote delivery methods and the implications this has on future service delivery for clinicians. Semi-structured interviews with 6 families were conducted online. Analysis of transcripts using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed four superordinate themes: environment and child engagement, non-verbal communication, travel and familiarity with remote interactions. Parents recognised the influence the physical and online environment had on their child’s engagement levels, however, varied in their experience and hence preference of delivery method. All families emphasised the importance of non-verbal communication within DDP sessions and majority highlighted this may be lost online. For families who travelled to face-to-face DDP, car journeys provided a unique opportunity to decompress and reflect after sessions. For families where travel is unfeasible, online DDP was a lifeline, demonstrating the ability of remote therapy to widen access to specialist healthcare. Familiarity with online work emerged as a strong indicator of positive attitudes towards remote DDP, especially if the previous experience is positive and the child is confident using technology. Overall, families differed greatly in their experience of remote and face-to-face DDP indicating a new approach must be undertaken with each family beginning therapy, ensuring it is unique and individual to their needs.
... Counselor 7, who is responsible for all cycles, emphasized, "When counselors see a student at school, they look for them and catch up with them, particularly in the hallway, however virtually such communication can be slowed down due to different factors. " Baker and Ray (2011), in contrast, highlighted a disadvantage that the tools used in virtual counseling might impede the process, which results in clarification problems rather than focusing on the counselee's goals. Written communication can allow the counselee to revise their statements without worrying about them coming out wrong (Baker and Ray, 2011). ...
... " Baker and Ray (2011), in contrast, highlighted a disadvantage that the tools used in virtual counseling might impede the process, which results in clarification problems rather than focusing on the counselee's goals. Written communication can allow the counselee to revise their statements without worrying about them coming out wrong (Baker and Ray, 2011). ...
Virtual counseling has become an increased necessity as a result of the current pandemic as well as the need for methods that comply with the continuous changes and advancements. Studies conducted have shown that the perceptions of counselors of the benefits and barriers reflect whether or not the counseling service will be successful. This study is a descriptive research design following a qualitative approach. The study aimed to explore (a) the school counselor’s perceptions of the benefits and barriers they encounter when using virtual counseling, (b) the perceived differences between conducting virtual counseling and in-person counseling, and (c) whether participation in virtual counseling differs as a result of students’ characteristics in the perception of school counselors. Five private schools in the Beirut region were contacted as they were known to have virtual counseling programs. Both the schools and counselors were purposively chosen. Seven in-depth semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion (FGD) were carried out with the study participants. Interpretational analysis was carried out to assess and analyze the obtained data. The results showed that through these experiences, counselors were able to develop new methods with regard to technology and other practices to limit the effects of obstacles faced. Counselors’ communication tools were also fine-tuned since they had to rely on unorthodox methods to understand students and deal with them better. Results showed that the benefits also have to do with time and method flexibility, the main barriers were issues of privacy, change in workplace dynamics, and lack of usage of tools. The findings were discussed in relation to four main themes: (a) service delivery adaptation, (b) working with technology, (c) counselor’s practices in delivering virtual counseling, and (d) preparation and training for virtual counseling. Being that it is qualitative research, the interpretational analysis was carried out to assess the obtained data. The results showed that the main benefits have to do with time and method flexibility, and the main barriers were issues of privacy and change in workplace dynamics. The results showed that the new changes and the counselor’s experience, along with the personal attributes of counselors and students, all influenced the efficiency of the counseling sessions.
... With the rapid development of the mobile internet and the extensive practice of the concept of "Internet Plus", online counseling service has become an emerging market (3) and a large number of online counseling apps have emerged (4). Scholars have defined online counseling as the delivery of counseling services via the Internet when the pastoral/spiritual counselor or psychologist and counselee are not in the same physical area and communicate using computer-mediated communication innovations (3,5,6). Online counseling encompasses a wide range of techniques, including but not limited to instant messaging, synchronous chat, text messaging, video conferencing, and asynchronous email (7). ...
... Furthermore, we found the synchrony between counselor and counselee in the SQA-OC context, including the aspects of language style matching and topic consistency, but more attention has been paid to emotional and symptom similarity compared to the studies of other online service platforms. Previous scholars have expressed their concerns about the capacity and professionality of online counselors and argued that the service quality of online counseling is hard to guarantee (5). The results of this study showed that the public's perception of helpfulness can only be improved if it is synchronized and resonated with the counselees at both the semantic, cognitive, and emotional levels. ...
The social question answering based online counseling (SQA-OC) is easy access for people seeking professional mental health information and service, has become the crucial pre-consultation and application stage toward online counseling. However, there is a lack of efforts to evaluate and explain the counselors' service quality in such an asynchronous online questioning and answering (QA) format efficiently. This study applied the notion of perceived helpfulness as a public's perception of counselors' service quality in SQA-OC, used computational linguistic and explainable machine learning (XML) methods suited for large-scale QA discourse analysis to build an predictive model, explored how various sources and types of linguistic cues [i.e., Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), topic consistency, linguistic style similarity, emotional similarity] contributed to the perceived helpfulness. Results show that linguistic cues from counselees, counselors, and synchrony between them are important predictors, the linguistic cues and XML can effectively predict and explain the perceived usefulness of SQA-OC, and support operational decision-making for counselors. Five helpful counseling experiences including linguistic styles of “talkative”, “empathy”, “thoughtful”, “concise with distance”, and “friendliness and confident” were identified in the SQA-OC. The paper proposed a method to evaluate the perceived helpfulness of SQA-OC service automatically, effectively, and explainable, shedding light on the understanding of the SQA-OC service outcome and the design of a better mechanism for SQA-OC systems.
... Salah satu temuan penting dari penelitian ini adalah tingkat kenyamanan dan kepercayaan mahasiswa terhadap layanan ecounseling. Mereka yang pernah menggunakan layanan ini merasa nyaman karena dapat berkonsultasi tanpa harus bertatap muka langsung, yang mengurangi rasa malu dan kekhawatiran akan privasi [11]. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa privasi dan keamanan data adalah faktor penting yang mempengaruhi keputusan mahasiswa dalam menggunakan layanan. ...
p>Mahasiswa sering menghadapi permasalahan yang dapat memengaruhi keberhasilan akademik mereka. Universitas Al-Azhar Indonesia menyediakan layanan e-counseling berbasis teknologi, “Curhat Dong,” untuk memberikan dukungan psikologis secara fleksibel dan aman. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi keterlibatan mahasiswa, manfaat layanan, serta kendala yang dihadapi dalam implementasi. Dengan metode kualitatif dan desain studi kasus, wawancara dilakukan terhadap 16 mahasiswa pengguna layanan ini. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa layanan membantu mahasiswa dengan menawarkan akses mudah, privasi terjaga, dan tanpa biaya. Sebanyak 10 responden berniat melanjutkan sesi, sementara lainnya merasa cukup dengan satu sesi. Kendala utama mencakup kurangnya sosialisasi dan tantangan teknis. Penelitian ini menyoroti pentingnya peningkatan sosialisasi, penguatan keamanan data, dan pengembangan layanan untuk mendukung kesejahteraan mahasiswa secara optimal.
Kata Kunci - Konseling, Mahasiswa, Teori Pertukaran Sosial</p
... The term "exposure and outcome" is in line with the definition provided by Pollock and Berge (2018). Exposure in this study denotes to the use of technology in educational services, or cyber counseling ( Baker & Ray, 2011), and instant messaging, synchronous chat, text messaging, video conferencing, and asynchronous email (Barnett, 2005). The outcomes in this review indicates the effectiveness of using technology to improve educational-counseling services in social and personal fields (McKenna & Bargh, 2000), learning (Hernawati et al., 2018) (Hayden et al., 2008;Hernawati et al., 2018), career ( Baker & Bufka, 2011), and mental health (McBain et al., 2023;Skinner & Zack, 2004;Sloan et al., 2011). ...
There is a scarcity of research that documents the use of technology-based educational counseling services specifically targeting students. This study’s aim is to compile and conduct a comprehensive review of the literature on the efficacy of technology in enhancing educational counseling services. Searches were conducted using the Publish or Perish (PoP) method throughout, along with Scopus, Crossref, PubMed, ACA, Web of Science, Springer, Emerald, as well as the Taylor and Francis databases. Data gathering was done in October and November 2023. The evaluation included a total of 19 papers, and the results indicated that technology has been proven to improve educational counseling services, where it is used in mental health that is dominated by MHAs, mobile well-being apps, mHEALTH, SMS, FER, and mindfulness apps. Computer-assisted and CD-ROM tools are used in personal counseling, while CAI is used in providing learning counseling. Social counseling used two technologies: a safety decision-aid smartphone app and a virtual message app. Counseling for learning was used with CAI, MCO, and video modeling. Career counseling employed a mobile-based career counseling app along with career counseling websites. The investigation included the countries of Indonesia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Türkiye (Turkey), the Philippines, and Iran.
... Online poradenstvo vzniklo ako pohodlné riešenie v nepohodlných situáciách, ktorou sú aj rôzne pandemické situácie. Online poradenstvo bolo charakterizované ako poskytovanie poradenských služieb cez internet, kde poradca a klient nie sú v rovnakej fyzickej oblasti a komunikujú pomocou počítačových, sprostredkovaných, komunikačných inovácií (Abney, & Cleborne, 2004;Baker, & Ray, 2011;Mallen et al., 2005;Richards, & Viganó, 2012). Za online poradenstvo bol uznaný sortiment spôsobov vrátane okamžitých správ, synchrónneho chatu, textových správ, videokonferencií a asynchrónneho e-mailu Barnett, 2005;Dowling, & Rickwood, 2013). ...
Učebnica sa venuje nielen teoretickým základom poradenstva, ale aj nevyhnutným praktickým aspektom, ktoré sú spojené s poskytovaním pomoci klientom online. Cieľom učebnice je tiež prehĺbiť porozumenie princípom, metódam a výzvam spojeným s poskytovaním poradenských služieb v online prostredí v konfrontácii s face-to-face poradenstvom, ktoré ešte donedávna dominovalo. V jednotlivých kapitolách preskúmame rôzne formy poradenstva, analyzujeme výhody a výzvy, ale aj riziká a nedostatky spojené s poskytovaním online poradenstva.
... In addition, they also have the opportunity to use various media such as chat, video calls, and email to optimize the counseling process. The existence of "HARMONI" as an online counseling platform can be a solution to the limitations of time and space that are often obstacles in conventional counseling services (Baker & Ray, 2011). ...
p class="06IsiAbstrak"> Developing “Harmony” (Helping And Resolving Mental Health Issues Online For New You) As A Online Counseling Services In University . The results of a mental health survey conducted on 3607 students of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University in 2024 showed that more than 70% of students felt the need for counseling services to help them deal with mental health problems. The high number of needs for counseling services makes it necessary for universities to think about other options from the face-to-face counseling services that have been running so far, especially since Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University has students spread across 5 different campus locations. Online counseling is needed to increase student access to counseling services. This study aims to develop a prototype of a website-based online counseling service. This online counseling service website is called HARMONY. The research method used in this study is the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Waterfall. The stages of this research are analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. In addition to presenting video conferencing features for use in counseling services, this website also includes other features such as mental health assessments, personality character assessments, and interest assessments. With this online counseling service website, students will find it easier to get mental health services.
Keywords: Harmony, Online Counseling, Mental Health, University
... Studies have also been conducted to highlight mental health prevention and intervention efforts using the Internet and mobile devices (Ebert et al., 2018), as well as reporting on the use of the Internet in providing online mental health counseling to treat college students' anxiety, depression, and improve psychological well-being (Davies et al., 2014). Although initially online counseling has received criticism from professionals and lay people due to concerns regarding the impact of the loss of cues on the therapy process, ethical issues and legal implications for all aspects of the construction and delivery of online counseling features, various practical problems of online counseling, as well as concerns about reliance on technology (Barak et al., 2012), but with increasing research evidence regarding the benefits of online counseling, online counseling is now an acceptable form of psychological support (Baker & Ray, 2011;Jorm et al., 2013). ...
This study aims to provide a bibliometric review of the relevant previous research landscape related to online counseling in the student context from 2000-2023. Data were taken from the Scopus database of 215 and refined into 114 publications. Based on the results from bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software, it was found that 2020 would be the year with the most published articles, namely, 20 articles. The United States is the country that publishes the most articles related to online counseling in the student context, with 26 publications and 18 collaboration links with other countries, followed by Australia, namely 12 publications with 8 collaboration links with other countries, and Indonesia, namely 10 publications with 11 collaboration links with other countries. The trend of citations related to online counseling in the student context occurred in 2020, with as many as 253 citations. Of the 114 articles that have published research related to this field, 40 have been published in Q1 journals. The focus of research on online counseling in the student context by clustering using VOSviewer software is 1) COVID-19 and mental health; 2) higher education and self-stigma; 3) technology and anxiety.
... Online counselling is excellent for creating therapeutic rapport and crisis intervention, according to several counsellors. Since clients can use their typical setting, online counselling is less confrontational (Baker & Ray, 2011). CBT is a popular online strategy. ...
... email counseling, chat-based counseling (Pordelan et al., 2023), video counseling, and online self-help groups (Gupta and Agrawal, 2012). These online services were used as both an independent medical method and a traditional counseling complement (Baker and Ray, 2011). Some scholars believe that online counseling technology is used due to its advantages (Severy, 2008). ...
Abstract
Background
The use of online psychological services has shown potential in alleviating mental health concerns during the coronavirus epidemic. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online psychological services on COVID-19 fear and academic achievement among students with addicted parents.
Methods
The current study is a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, and control group. The statistical population of this study included all male and female students in Tehran province in 2022. In order to select the sample, the call to participate in the study was made by the social media (Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn) for two months. Then, corona fear questionnaire link was sent to the email addresses of the respondents and 120 students who met the inclusion criteria were selected as the sample of the study. In the next stage, 120 students were randomly assigned in the experimental and control groups. After 8 online sessions, 4 students from the experimental group and 5 students from the control group ended their cooperation due to personal reasons and as a result, 56 and 55 students constituted the experimental and control groups, respectively.
Results
The results indicated a significant increase in academic achievement for students in the experimental group post-intervention compared to the control group. Additionally, online psychological services appeared to mitigate COVID-19 related fears.
Conclusion
This study suggests that online psychological services play a pivotal role in enhancing student's mental well-being during the COVID-19 epidemic.
... One of our findings was that both older adults and counsellors felt that virtual MI was convenient and flexible. Across the literature, convenience has been identified as one of the main advantages of the virtual or online format of counselling (Baker and Ray, 2011;Mishna et al., 2015;Richards and Viganó, 2013). Virtual MI eliminates the need for older adults to travel to the counsellor's office thereby saving time and money. ...
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of older adults and counsellors involved in virtual motivational interviewing (MI). This study was part of the Virtual Motivational INTerviewing (VIMINT) feasibility trial of virtual MI for physical activity in older adults. A descriptive qualitative design utilized content analysis. Seven older adults and three counsellors were interviewed. Four categories were developed: (i) Benefits and limitations of using technology (ii) Relationships between older adults and counsellors (iii) MI skills and spirit and (iv) Effects of virtual MI. Older adults and counsellors reported that receiving/delivering MI virtually was convenient and flexible. They described reduced non-verbal communication in virtual MI. Virtual MI facilitates interpersonal relationships, and counsellors reported that MI skills and spirit can be applied virtually. This study showed that virtual MI offers potential benefits with some limitations. The findings could inform future research involving virtual delivery of MI.
... A study by Cipolletta and Mocellin (2018) shows that online psychological interventions are effective in several areas of psychological distress, such as pathological gambling, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Abbott et al., 2008;Barak et al., 2009;Finn and Barak, 2010;Perle and Nierenberg, 2013;Lenhard et al., 2014;Bolton and Dorstyn, 2015). The effectiveness of online psychological support has also been demonstrated in women with infertility, cancer patients and alcohol-dependent people (Baker and Ray, 2011), but also in patients who have previously completed in-person psychotherapy (Kivi et al., 2014;Wagner et al., 2014). Johansson and colleagues (2012) studied the effectiveness of Internet-based Psychodynamic Therapy (iPDT) in depression through a randomized controlled trial (RCT). ...
The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of studies on the effectiveness of online psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at university students. Studies were identified by literature search on PubMed and Scopus. In- cluded were empirical studies in peer-reviewed English-language scientific journals; studies with samples including university students; studies that in- cluded psychological interventions or psychotherapy performed online. Eighteen studies were selected. The predominant online intervention was cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Psychological interventions delivered online were found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, but also in treating other psychopathological conditions. Moreover, they showed effectiveness and acceptability at least equal to classic interventions.
... Online or cyber counselling, as it is commonly known as, is characterized as the conveyance of counselling services via the Internet, where the counsellor and counselee/client are not within the same physical area and they communicate utilizing computer-mediated communication innovations [1], [2], [3]. ...
This paper shares the findings of a study that explored cyber counselling policies and practices in public and private universities in Zambia. The study contended that the shift in teaching modes in universities has led to the shift from traditional on-campus classroom sessions to distance and on-line ones. This has made counselling service provision somewhat problematic and divisive. The study employed a descriptive research approach. Six (6) public and private universities were sampled using the simple random sampling technique and involved 90 respondents: 30 lecturers, comprising five (5) lecturers from each university; 60 students, consisting of 10 students from each university. Telephone interview guides and Google form questionnaires were the two main methods used to collect data for the study. Descriptive and thematic data analysis methods were used. Findings revealed an absence of counselling units and or departments in all the three private universities sampled. At least, 2 out of the 3 public universities had structures and some officers seconded to man (operate) the units. The following was evident in all the universities: absence of high-tech to facilitate and support cyber counselling; inconsistent engagement of students by the existing counselling units, no counselling plans, lack of models with guidelines in cyber counselling which is age appropriate. Social workers not knowing how to go about using cyber counselling students' lack of orientation where cyber counselling exists in universities by the social workers, thus students going to any lecturer to seek counselling which leads to lack of confidentiality. Findings further showed that all the private and public universities did not have trained staff in cyber counselling. What is more, is that there were few or no records of students either referred for counselling or identified by any staff as needing such service(s). What was established from both the students and lecturers was that counselling was provided to students in now evident ways such as 'learner support services', 'online student engagements', 'social media network engagements' and through the student union representatives. Indirectly, these were named, yet not categorized as constituting counselling services. The study recommends that HEIs designate units to coordinate counselling service provision now that there are students who learn both synchronously and asynchronously.
... Sejaln dengan penelitian Ifdil & Ilyas (2017) menjelaskan dengan integrasi teknologi e-konseling dalam program AUM berbasis Microsoft Access, alat ini terbukti sangat efisien. Selanjutnya, Baker & Ray (2011) mengemukakan bahwa konseling daring merupakan jenis layanan terapi yang relatif baru. Konseling ini berkembang melalui pemanfaatan teknologi komunikasi, mulai dari yang paling sederhana seperti penggunaan email, sesi chat, dan sesi telepon PC-ke-PC, hingga penggunaan webcam (sesi video langsung) yang jelas memanfaatkan komputer dan internet (Ayub et al., 2022;Sumarwijah, 2004). ...
Di era milenial, perkembangan teknologi informasi telah mengubah lanskap pendidikan, dan guru Bimbingan dan Konseling (BK) diharapkan untuk terus meningkatkan kompetensinya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengevaluasi tingkat kepuasan peserta terhadap Workshop Pengabdian Masyarakat Implementasi Aplikasi Digital Pengolahan AUM Seri PTSDL Berbasis Web bagi Guru Bimbingan dan Konseling SLTA di Sumatera Barat, serta untuk menganalisis perbedaan tingkat kepuasan berdasarkan gender dan domisili peserta. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan metode deskriptif untuk mengevaluasi Workshop Pengabdian Masyarakat Implementasi Aplikasi Digital Pengolahan AUM Seri PTSDL Berbasis Web Bagi Guru Bimbingan dan Konseling SLTA di Sumatera Barat. Sampel terdiri dari 80 partisipan yang tersebar di berbagai daerah di Sumatera Barat. Setelah penyaringan data, hanya 77 data yang digunakan dalam analisis. Temuan pada penelitian menunjukkan Workshop Pengabdian Masyarakat Implementasi Aplikasi Digital Pengolahan AUM Seri PTSDL Berbasis Web Bagi Guru Bimbingan dan Konseling SLTA di Sumatera Barat berhasil dengan sangat baik. Peserta sangat puas, dan sebagian besar sangat puas. Implikasinya adalah bahwa data yang dikumpulkan juga dapat digunakan sebagai dasar untuk perencanaan yang lebih strategis dalam pengembangan kegiatan serupa di masa depan.
... Verschiedene Studien zeigten, dass die therapeutische Allianz in verschiedenen Online-Settings mit denen in Face-to-Face Settings vergleichbar ist (Cook & Doyle, 2002;Gómez Penedo et al., 2020;Heckemann et al., 2016). Historisch gesehen besteht gegenüber der Distanztherapie von Seiten der Therapeut*innen dennoch viel Unbehagen und Widerstand, besonders aufgrund fehlender Ausbildung (Glueckauf et al., 2018), Vorbehalten hinsichtlich der Technik (Baker & Ray, 2011), dem Vorwurf einer oberflächlichen Beziehungsgestaltung (Williams et al., 2009) und ethischer Bedenken (Hoffman, 2021). Die Pandemie hat aber auch im personzentrierten Bereich zu eingehenderen Reflexionen geführt, wie Therapie in der neuen Normalität umgesetzt werden kann. ...
Die COVID-19-Pandemie erforderte die Umstellung von Psychotherapie auf Distanzmethoden. Basierend auf quantitativen Längs-schnittdaten (N = 101) sowie Expert*inneninterviews mit elf Lehrtherapeut*innen wurden die Perspektiven von personzentrierten Therapeut*innen auf Distanztherapie untersucht. Dabei zeigten sich unterschiedliche Schwierigkeiten bezüglich der Distanz-therapie, insbesondere im Hinblick auf Resonanz und Therapiebeziehung. Obwohl die Präsenztherapie aus diesen Gründen bevorzugt wurde, sahen die Befragten auch Vorteile und befürworteten die Beibehaltung der Möglichkeit von Distanztherapien als Ergänzung. Die Distanztherapie kann dabei durch ihre Niederschwelligkeit die psychosoziale Versorgung der Bevölkerung ver-bessern. Für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung sind Anpassungen gegenüber der Präsenztherapie nötig. Hierfür können Lehren aus der Pandemiesituation gezogen werden, welche als Empfehlungen zusammenfasst werden.
... Karakteristik individu konseling online bahasa tubuh menjadi faktor yang tidak bisa lagi dijadikan bahan analisis konselor dalam pelaksanaan konseling online dan tidak jarang ketiadaan faktor non-verbal tersebut yang menyebabkan konselor salah mengartikan maksud permasalahan yang dialami konseli, sehingga untuk permasalahan tersebut setidaknya antara konselor dan konseli memiliki kemampuan berbahasa yang baik, hal tersebut menjadi sumber kekuatan dari pelaksanaan konseling online dengan menggunakan fitur chatting (Baker & Ray, 2011). Kemampuan lain yang harus dimiliki konseli adalah melek teknologi yang juga harus dimiliki konselor sebagai hal dasar pelaksanaan konseling online. ...
This study aims to utilize media technology to develop counseling services for students. The method used is a literature review study, articles are searched through the database using Google Scholar, which were published from 2019 to 2023 and were written in English and Indonesian. Based on the data synthesis, 19 selected articles were studied and input prepared by the reviewers for analysis. design, along with the results and conclusions of each paper. Qualitative, quantitative research and review articles are included to have a broader picture of this subject. The results of this study are good language skills, this is a source of strength from implementing online counseling using chat features good language skills, this is a source of strength from implementing online counseling using chat features the use of information technology can improve planning and career maturity in students. Online counseling takes the form of virtual e-counseling technology media in the form of: websites, telephone/mobile phones, email, video conferencing, chat, instant messaging, computers and other social media networks which are now growing more and more easily accessible via smartphones. The survey shows that the type of counseling media application feature that is most widely used by students and counseling teachers is chat (93.75%). BK teachers about the duration of online counseling that students often do between 20-60 minutes, reported by 57.5% of counseling teachers.
... Because people used to exclusively receive face-to-face counseling from a counselor, it is a fresh notion that is gaining popularity with time. Online counseling, as asserted by Ref. [35], concerns the deliberate exchange of information aimed at resolving a difficulty that the individual has brought to the counselor's attention. Messaging, phone call, chat, email, and video conferencing are all options for delivering this type of counseling [36]. ...
Online counseling is widely regarded as a cost-effective and convenient means to provide basic counseling services, and it is increasingly being used in university treatment. However, it is unclear what amount of information and attitude students have about online counseling in colleges of education. This study looked at students' views toward and likelihood of using online counseling towards help information seeking and dissemination to see if it has the potential to increase overall service consumption. A survey was conducted and responded to by 411 students from two Ghanaian colleges of education and based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, students' attitudes and intentions to use online counseling were investigated. The paucity of online counseling systems in the colleges of education is shown in the study, yet 94% of participants said they would use online counseling services if given the opportunity. Based on these findings, it is recommended that providing online counseling in parallel to face-to-face counseling could be an effective strategy for counseling units in colleges of education to boost service delivery and so better serve their students.
... In addition, individuals do not have to cope with and interpret the therapist's rapid emotional feedback signals, which may alter their emotions towards the client. Web-based counselling delivers convenience, accessibility, and cost, among other significant advantages [9,10]. For instance, both the counsellor and client can receive counselling anywhere without being confined to the counsellor's office or having to drive great distances to meet [11]. ...
While the practice of counselling has traditionally involved face-to-face interaction between the counsellor and client, current practitioners are providing counselling services with the use of internet-based technology, as technology has altered the appearance and operations of numerous professions, including that of the counsellor. However, web-based counselling, a recent form of counselling, is a relatively recent phenomenon in Ghana. This chapter aims to measure the perspectives of students at the University of Cape Coast on the use of web-based counselling. The study was carried out using a sample of 600 undergraduates from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a descriptive survey was conducted. The data was gathered using a questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale. Means and standard deviations provided answers to the two study research questions that guided the survey. Furthermore, the two hypotheses were tested using the independent samples t-test. Findings from the study indicated that respondents had either positive and negative attitudes or opinions regarding the use of web-based counselling. In addition, both males and females showed affinity to web-based counselling. Nevertheless, the males were somewhat hostile towards web-based counselling than females. It was recommended that counsellors increase their use of cyber therapy in their work with adolescents, as they have learned the skills and knowledge to utilise the internet and are comfortable with web-based counselling. In addition, university administrators were urged to obtain new equipment to facilitate web-based counselling.
... In addition, individuals do not have to cope with and interpret the therapist's rapid emotional feedback signals, which may alter their emotions of the client. Cyber counselling delivers convenience, accessibility, and cost are other significant advantages [3,4]. For instance, both the counsellor and client can receive counselling anywhere without being confined to the counsellor's office or having to drive great distances to meet [5]. ...
Introduction: The use of technology has altered the appearance and operations of numerous professions, including that of the counsellor. However, cyber counselling, a recent form of counselling, is a relatively recent phenomenon in Ghana. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure the perspectives of students at the University of Cape Coast on the use of cyber counselling.
Methods: Using a sample of 600 undergraduates from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a descriptive survey was conducted. The male-to-female ratio was 3:2. A questionnaire with a four-point Likert scale was utilised to collect the data. Means and standard deviations provided answers to the two study research questions that guided the survey. In addition, the two hypotheses were analysed using an independent samples t-test.
Results: The survey discovered that respondents had either positive or negative viewpoints or opinions regarding the use of cyber counselling. In addition, both males and females showed affinity to cyber counselling. However, males were somewhat more hostile towards cyber counselling than females.
Recommendations: It was suggested that counsellors should increase their use of cybertherapy in their work with adolescents, as they have learned the skills and knowledge to utilise the internet and are comfortable with cyber counselling or e-counselling.
... The interview situations, in which the ethnographers, contrary to their usual practice, now sat 'on the other side', thus formed a maximum contrast, especially regarding emotional topics, to the interaction dynamics the interviewees otherwise experienced in their everyday academic life. Some studies on remote psychotherapeutic sessions show that the online setting can also help participants to disclose emotionally (for example, due to a certain anonymity) (Baker and Ray, 2011;Weinberg, 2020), especially when the audience is attributed to have had a similar experience (Kornfield and Toma, 2020). At the same time, the embodied in-situ experience and observation were left out or transferred to the screen (Kornfield and Toma, 2020). ...
This article explores the ‘fear to feel’ of ethnographers within German-speaking academic cultures based on qualitative ethnographic material from the author’s ethnographic fieldwork (2019–22). It gives a discussion on the fieldwork context, reflects on the author’s position(ality), and methodology, next to the presentation of various ‘fear types’ within academia evolving from the data set. They rank between the absolute silencing of emotions in the professional academic context, self-optimisation in which the suppression of emotion is styled as professional behaviour, and finally communalisation in a governing emotion regime. The different forms of (not) acting out fear are analysed using this empirical material as ‘affective communities of no-feeling’ that shape communities, build solidarities and reinforce models of domination. Within these fragile and constantly reconstructing communities, which assign a particular connotation to emotions, researchers act and subordinate in equal measure using their ability of emotion regulation as capital.
... The counselling environment itself has evolved over recent decades with the advancements in technology. For example, the internet is commonly the first port of call when people are seeking self-help information for mental health-related issues, as it allows access to a plethora of information (Baker and Ray, 2011). Moreover, advancements in technology have paved the way for human relationships themselves to be both broadened as well as challenged and interest in the use of technology for counselling has developed. ...
Purpose
Literature suggests young people (YP) from ethnic minority backgrounds face barriers in accessing mental health support due to discrimination and stigma and so this study aims to explore how YP from ethnic minority backgrounds interact with online counselling.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used secondary data provided by Kooth, a digital mental health service for YP, for users who accessed the service from September 2020 to 2021 (N = 118,556). The users measure of need (YP-CORE) was assessed upon sign up to the service, and they also chose the ethnicity and background they felt best represented by. The study hypothesised the following: H1 . There would be a significant difference between ethnic group of YP and source of referral; H2 . There would be a significant difference in ethnic group of YP and YP-CORE score.
Findings
The one-way ANOVA and chi-squared analyses demonstrated a significant difference for both hypotheses indicating a significant association between source of referral and ethnicity, and a significant difference in measure of need when comparing YP who self-identified as White to those who self-identified as Asian.
Originality/value
Findings reveal school-based services are the most popular source of referral for all YP; however, a higher number of YP from Asian and Black ethnicities reached out through informal sources such as Google as opposed to health professionals such as GPs. From the data, YP who identified as Indian, Chinese and African present to online counselling at a lower level of distress compared to their White British counterparts, contradictory to findings investigating measure of need in face-to-face settings.
... Lebih lanjut kelamahan dari cyber counseling terkait dengan kebutuhan data yang bersifat non-verbal dengan mengamati dengan menggunakan bahasa tubuh dan petunjuk visual dan verbal lainnya akan mengubah dinamika konseling [43], [44], [45]. ...
Abstrak Pandemi covid-19 hingga saat ini masih menjadi perhatian yang sangat khusus mulai dari upaya pencegahan hingga upaya penangan kasus covid-19. Selama masa pandemi covid-19 tidak menutup kemungkinan banyak sekali kendala ataupun faktor hambatan yang dialami oleh peserta didik dalam menjalankan tanggungjawabnya sebagai seorang pelajar hingga mengakibarkan stress belajar hingga menjadi hambatan psikologis. Hambatan psikologis ini jika dibiarkan begitu saja akan membawa dampak yang begitu besar bagi kondisi kesehatan mental seorang pelajar maka dengan hal tersebut sangat penting untuk memberikan upaya penanganan masalah yang dihadapi pelajar dengan cara mengoptimalkan layanan cybercounseling dimasa pandemi. Cybercounseling sebagai ialah praktek konseling profesional yang terjadi ketika konseli dan konselor berada secara terpisah sehingga lebih memanfaatkan media elektronik untuk menjalin komunikasi menggunakan bantuan internet, dan memanfaatkan web, email, chat, videoconference sehingga konselor maupun klien tidak harus melakukan pertemuan tatap muka dan tetap menjaga protokol kesehatan. Abstract-The COVID-19 pandemic is still a very special concern, starting from prevention efforts to efforts to handle Covid-19 cases. During the covid-19 period, it is possible that there are many obstacles or obstacles experienced by students in managing the pandemic as a student, causing learning stress to become a psychological barrier. This psychological barrier if left alone will have a huge impact on the mental health condition of a student, so it is very important to provide efforts to handle the problems faced by optimizing cybercounseling services during the pandemic. Cybercounseling is how professional counseling practices occur when the counselee and counselor are separated so that they use electronic media to establish communication using the help of the internet, and utilize web, email, chat, videoconferencing so that counselors and clients do not have to have face-to-face meetings and maintain health protocols.
... Worst still some do not even have phones that possess internet accessories… Basically, the above narratives indicate that there are a number of challenges that counselors encounter ranging from lack of skills to poor internet connectivity, which need to be addressed in order to find a better way of providing online counseling. What is emerging is that online counseling cannot possibly replace traditional faceto-face [12]. Hence, negotiations are needed to integrate the two in order to withstand the stress of the time such as COVID-19 pandemic. ...
The outbreak of COVID-19 necessitated professional trained psychologists to offer voluntary services leading to online paradigm of counseling intervention. This chapter presents the challenges and compromises some counselors encountered when they assisted individuals who were either infected or affected by COVID-19. The chapter also presented the narratives collected from social media, personal experiences of the authors and communications with their colleagues from Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. It was realized that counselors faced challenges such as lack of experience, poor internet availability, threatened clients’ perceived privacy and data security and financial implications. Based on the challenges and compromises, the authors recommended counseling regulatory bodies within African countries should generate operative policies to guide provision of e-counseling services. It was also recommended that e-counseling be integrated into its curriculum in order to adequately prepare the student counselors to be effective and efficient e-counselors. The chapter recommended that policy makers of counseling bodies liaison with network providers in alliance with government to negotiate a sustainable service provision, which ought to facilitate telepsychology. The chapter concluded that the COVID-19 counselors are charged with the responsibility of integrating traditional counseling approaches with telepsychology in order to provide relevant services to the clients who need their services.
... This study showed that mental health practitioners' main ethical concern in online counseling is confidentiality. Previous studies have also mentioned that confidentiality is the primary concern among professionals in online counseling (Wells et al., 2007;Baker & Ray., 2011;Stoll et al., 2020). Past research suggests several ways to protect confidentiality. ...
This study aims to review empirical studies on ethical issues in online counseling. In line with the criteria of this research, articles were searched in the Web of Science database; empirical research articles that collected data from mental health professionals, published between 2000-2021 years in psychology and counseling journals and indexed in SSCI were included. Seventeen articles that met the inclusion criteria were found. Nine different ethical issues were discovered according to the findings from these articles.
Respectively, maintaining confidentiality and privacy, need for a separate competency to perform online counseling, providing security, and difficulty of intervening in crisis situations due to physical distances, client verification, risk assessment, boundary issues,
and unclear circumstances for possible malpractice in online counseling were the ethical issues stated in the reviewed articles. To conclude, it is crucial to have clear, comprehensive, and detailed ethical standards for effectively dealing with these ethical
concerns by examining evidence-based research so that mental health professionals can adjust more effective practices.
... Services of counselling and psychotherapy online, in fact, offer several advantages including availability, convenience and accessibility, cost-effectiveness and privacy, which are particularly relevant for those subjects seeking help, but may not be inclined to utilize traditional services (Monaghan & Blaszczynski, 2009). Nowadays, the literature shows the benefits related to online counselling, inviting the researchers to consider opportunities in studying this phenomenon (Baker & Ray, 2011;Dowling & Rickwood, 2013). ...
Recent studies show an increase in self-harming behaviour among adolescents and young people, who often require online psychological support. This trend has produced an increase in studies and online psychological interventions. As of today, however, online support groups for self-harmers are still under-examined. Therefore, within a European project, we collected the discussions of four groups for young people with self-harming behaviours and analysed them by using a software for automatic qualitative text analysis. In particular, we focused on the themes discussed, and how these were discursively organized by the members in order to comprehend the psychodynamic functions promoted by each group. Four main themes and three sense vectors emerged. Online support groups with young women who self-harm produce some elaborative functions: the container of anguish, the emotion-regulation and the meaning-making. Clinical implications of online support groups for young people with self-harming behaviours will be discussed.
... These advances have provided advantages for both clients and providers of mental health services. They have allowed mental health providers to broaden their reach [3]. Unlike traditional counselling, online counselling sessions can afford geographically separated individuals to meet each other, such as video conferencing virtually. ...
... Secondly, much controversy has been associated with web-based or online psychotherapies. The use of technology is generally perceived to impede the interpersonal therapeutic relationship between the psychologist and the patient, thereby reducing treatment effectiveness [44]. However, input from our multidisciplinary teammates ushered possibilities of transforming traditional, formal psychotherapy into informal practices that can be applied or exercised in the individual's daily life. ...
Background
Elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgeries offer enhanced surgical outcomes but demand high self-efficacy in prehabilitation and competency in self-care and disease management postsurgery. Conventional strategies to meet perioperative needs have not been pragmatic, and there remains a pressing need for novel technologies that could improve health outcomes.
Objective
The aim of this paper was to describe the development of a smartphone-based interactive CRC self-management enhancement psychosocial program (iCanManage) in order to improve health outcomes among patients who undergo elective CRC surgeries and their family caregivers.
Methods
A multidisciplinary international team comprising physicians, specialist nurses, a psychologist, software engineers, academic researchers, cancer survivors, patient ambassadors, and ostomy care medical equipment suppliers was formed to facilitate the development of this patient-centric digital solution. The process occurred in several stages: (1) review of current practice through clinic visits and on-site observations; (2) review of literature and findings from preliminary studies; (3) content development grounded in an underpinning theory; (4) integration of support services; and (5) optimizing user experience through improving interface aesthetics and customization. In our study, 5 participants with CRC performed preliminary assessments on the quality of the developed solution using the 20-item user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS), which had good psychometric properties.
Results
Based on the collected uMARS data, the smartphone app was rated highly for functionality, aesthetics, information quality, and perceived impact, and moderately for engagement and subjective quality. Several limiting factors such as poor agility in the adoption of digital technology and low eHealth literacy were identified despite efforts to promote engagement and ensure ease of use of the mobile app. To overcome such barriers, additional app-training sessions, an instruction manual, and regular telephone calls will be incorporated into the iCanManage program during the trial period.
Conclusions
This form of multidisciplinary collaboration is advantageous as it can potentially streamline existing care paths and allow the delivery of more holistic care to the CRC population during the perioperative period. Should the program be found to be effective and sustainable, hospitals adopting this digital solution may achieve better resource allocation and reduce overall health care costs in the long run.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04159363; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04159363
... Although online therapy is a relatively recent and emerging means of therapeutic working, using technology for therapeutic means is not new [3]. As early as the 1970's, tape-recorded self-help approaches and computerised programs, which imitated personcentred therapists, were integrated into therapeutic approaches [4]. ...
Online therapy has been increasingly utilised during the COVID-19 pandemic by many including working populations. However, few qualitative studies have explored how online therapy is ex-perienced in practice, and discussed its implications for those working clients. Semi-structured interviews attended by nine integrative psychotherapists practising in California, United States, were conducted. Thematic analysis of the transcripts identified three themes: i) ‘Positive experi-ences of online therapy’, ii) ‘Challenges experienced by therapists and clients in online therapy’, and iii) ‘Preparation and training for online therapy’. Online therapy was experienced as helpful, particularly in terms of mitigating against previous geographical and temporal barriers to up-take. However, due to technological disruptions and potential blurring of professional bounda-ries, online therapy may detract from the emotional salience of therapy, negatively impacting the therapeutic relationship and containment. Considering the positive experiences, participants ex-pected the demand for online therapy would continue to increase. Particularly in the occupational context, online therapy can offer intervention without jeopardising mental health shame. The findings provide preliminary qualitative evidence that online therapy can be a useful adjunct to traditional forms of face-to-face therapy. However, therapists require more explicit training in implementing online therapy. Results are discussed in particular regarding the utility of this therapy for working clients.
... Atas faktor keselesaan lelaki di ruang siber, dan rasa segan untuk mendapatkan perkhidmatan kaunseling secara bersemuka, maka Wright menyatakan lelaki mendapat lebih menfaat dari perkhidmatan E-Kaunseling berbanding perempuan. Beberapa faktor lagi yang membolehkan klien lelaki mendapat kepuasan klien lebih tinggi dalam perkhidmatan E-Kaunseling ialah faktor anonimiti yang membuat klien lelaki merasa yakin, selesa dan selamat dalam meluahkan emosi (Baker & Ray, 2011;Hall, 2004;Yeung et al., 2001). Kajian mendapati responden lelaki lebih selesa mendapatkan perkhidmatan e-Kaunseling kerana unsur anonimiti membuatkan mereka merasa tidak malu untuk berkongsi. ...
Memandangkan kemampuan internet mewujudkan prasarana yang sesuai untuk membina hubungan, pengamal kaunseling telah mengambil inisiatif memaksimumkan ruang internet ini. Satu perkhidmatan alternatif menolong melalui interaksi maya ini diwujudkan. E-Kaunseling telah mula mendapat perhatian kaunselor sebagai satu perkhidmatan alternatif yang ditawarkan kepada klien.Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneroka sejauh mana keberkesanan perkhidmatan E-Kaunseling terhadap jantina. Kajian eksperimental-kuasi ini menggunakan reka bentuk Kumpulan Kawalan Ujian Pra Dan Ujian Pasca. Data kuantitatif diperolehi menggunakan soal selidik Client’s Satisfaction Inventory Short-Form (CSI-SF). Seramai 60 subjek kajian terlibat dan dijalankan dalam dua kumpulan kajian iaitu kumpulan kawalan menggunakan kaedah Kaunseling Bersemuka dan kumpulan eksperimen pula menggunakan kaedah E-Kaunseling.Dapatan menunjukkan tiada perbezaan antara jantina dan Kepuasan Klien dalam kedua-dua kaedah dan hasil analisis Anova Dua Hala menunjukkan tiada perbezaan utama (main interaction) antara Jantina dan Kepuasan klien. Hasil analisis lanjut menggunakan Anova Sehala menunjukkan kesan interaksi (interaction effect) bahawa klien lelaki mendapat lebih kepuasan dalam kaedah E-kaunseling manakala klien perempuan mendapat lebih kepuasan dalam kaedah Kaunseling bersemuka. Implikasi kajian ialah kepada kaunselor sekolah dalam menawarkan perkhidmatan e-kaunseling bagi membantu pelajar yang ingin mendapatkan perkhidmatan kaunseling di luar waktu persekolahan. In view of the ability of the internet to create an appropriate relationship-building infrastructure, counselling practitioners have taken the initiative to optimize this internet space. An alternative service aims to establish this virtual interaction. E-Counselling has begun to catch the eye of counsellors as an alternative service offered to clients.This study aims to explore the effectiveness of E-Counselling services on gender.This quasi-experimental study uses the design of Pre-Test and Post-Test Control Groups. Quantitative data were obtained using the Client’s Satisfaction Inventory Short-Form (CSI-SF) questionnaire. A total of 60 participants were involved and conducted in two study groups, namely the control group using the Face-to-Face Counselling method and the experimental group using the E-Counselling method. Findings show no difference between gender and Client Satisfaction in both methods and the results of the Two-Way Anova analysis show no significant difference between Gender and Client Satisfaction. The results of further analysis using One-Way Anova show the interaction effect that male clients get more satisfaction in the E-counselling method while female clients get more satisfaction in the face-to-face counseling method. The implication of the study is for school counselors to provide e-counseling programs to support students who want to access counseling after school hours.
... Επιπρόσθετα, μέσω γραπτής επικοινωνίας μπορεί να υπάρχει λανθασμένη γραπτή επικοινωνία μεταξύ συμβούλου-εξυπηρετούμενου, δηλαδή ο εξυπηρετούμενος να παρερμηνεύσει τα λεγόμενα του συμβούλου ή να μην αντιληφθεί πλήρως αυτά που έγραψε ο σύμβουλος. Η επικοινωνία μέσω διαδικτυακής κλήσης παρέχει περισσότερο τη δυνατότητα στο σύμβουλο να λάβει τα μη λεκτικά μηνύματα (Baker & Ray, 2011;Harris & Birnbaum, 2014). ...
Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχουν αναπτυχθεί διάφορες μορφές εξ αποστάσεως συμ-
βουλευτικής όπως online συνομιλίες (chat), ανταλλαγή άμεσων μηνυμάτων, μηνύματα ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου και τηλεδιασκέψεις. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν η συλλογή πληροφοριών για τις ικανότητες και τις δεξιότητες που πρέπει να κατέχει ένας σύμβουλος ο οποίος παρέχει εξ αποστάσεως συμβουλευτική. Διεξάχθηκε ποιοτική έρευνα μέσω ημιδομημένων συνεντεύξεων με οκτώ επαγγελματίες σύμβουλους στην Κύπρο. Μεταξύ άλλων, η έρευνα ανέδειξε ότι ένας εξ αποστάσεως σύμβουλος πρέπει να έχει τις ακόλουθες δεξιότητες και ικανότητες: ενεργητική ακρόαση, ικανότητα επικοινωνίας μέσω χρήσης υπολογιστή, ικανότητα ανάπτυξης μη-επικριτικής προσέγγισης, ετοιμότητα να ανταποκριθεί άμεσα, να παραμένει συγκεντρωμένος, να γνωρίζει τη σχετική νομοθεσία.
... Furthermore, the lack of non-verbal cues can lead to misinterpretation or misconstruction of certain phrases on the part of the client or counsellor, especially if they do not clearly articulate themselves when writing. As a consequence, the powerful effects of the therapeutic relationship might be mitigated in online counselling and, in some cases, eliminated (Baker & Ray, 2011), which can impede its effective delivery. ...
Webchat counselling is increasingly utilised to deliver mental health services to young people. Despite potential barriers to its delivery, a systematic investigation has not yet been conducted. This qualitative study examined barriers and enablers to the delivery of webchat counselling through text communication and identified possible strategies to tackle these, on behalf of counsellors volunteering for an online charity offering psychological support to young people aged below 25. The current investigation was conducted using the Behaviour Change Wheel, a validated and systematic framework employed to guide intervention development and optimisation. Qualitative interviews were carried out with eight volunteers. Thematic analysis identified 11 core themes. Barriers were lack of online communication skills, lack of training to work online with young people, technical difficulties, reduced technical supervision during out‐of‐office hours, duration of webchat counselling sessions, perceived level of effectiveness, perceived establishment of a therapeutic relationship and perceived confidence in delivering webchat counselling. Enablers were familiarity with technology, flexibility and the absence of physical characteristics. These themes were perceived by counsellors as barriers or enablers depending on factors such as experience with technology and work shifts. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), intervention functions and behaviour change techniques to address these barriers and optimise the service were identified, such as providing counsellors with training to work online with young people, learning new presence techniques to foster emotional connectedness between counsellors and clients, adding time to sessions to compensate for time taken to complete questionnaires and increasing technical support and supervision during out‐of‐office hours.
Bu çalışmada Türkiye’de çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma ile ilgili yapılan araştırmaların incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmaya Google akademik ve YÖK Tez Merkezi’nden erişilen 33 araştırma dahil edilmiştir. Dahil edilen çalışmalar araştırmacılar tarafından oluşturulan Araştırma Sınıflama Formu kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Veri analizinde doküman incelemesi tekniği kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma ile ilgili yapılan çalışmaların yarısından fazlasının tez çalışması olduğu görülmektedir. Çalışma türüne göre araştırmaların en çok nitel yöntem kullanılarak gerçekleştirildiği bulunmuştur. Bu alanda en çok çalışılan konuların sunulan ve alınan çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma hizmetlerine yönelik algılar olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. İncelenen çalışmaların genel sonuçlarının etik, yüz yüze psikolojik danışma ile çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma yönteminin karşılaştırılması, çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma sürecinde mahremiyet ve kaygı, covid-19 salgının ruh sağlığı alanındaki yansıması olarak çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma ve çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma ile ilgili yapılan yarı deneysel çalışmalar konularında yoğunlaştığı bulunmuştur. Bulgular, ilgili alanyazın çerçevesinde tartışılmıştır. Çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma alanında karma desen çalışmaların yapılması, bu konuda psikolojik danışmanların tutumlarının incelenmesi, çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma yeterlikleri ile ilgili bir ölçme aracının geliştirilmesi ve çevrimiçi psikolojik danışma hizmetlerinin etik açıdan üst kuruluşlar tarafından denetlenmesi şeklinde bazı önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
The aim of this research is to find the effectiveness of online counseling to improve mental health among adolescents. As a never ending problematic situation that adolescents have limited access to the friendly mental health services. Online counseling as a therapeutic tool offer accessibility, convenient, flexibility, anonymity, and other aspects that can not be obtained by face-to-face counseling. This research was conducted to 200 adolescents aged 15-24 years old in pretest-posttest control group design. Participants were included to meet the criteria of: 1) experiencing mental health problems based on screening test used GHQ-12 (General Health Questionnaire); 2) having quality as an online counseling client (access to media technology, feel comfortable with online communication, able to express thoughts and feelings through writing, and have flexible time). After the data was collected, analysis used independent sample t-test formula showed that online counseling effective to improve mental health among adolescents (effect size = 2,87). The flexibility of time and place was mainly formed the benefit of online counseling regarding the participants. Participants was feeling supported and cared by interaction with other group members.
Children and youth from lower subjective socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at a heightened risk of mental disorders. Online counseling is a valuable tool to reach those less likely to seek professional help, but its success across different SES backgrounds remains unclear. This study explores the association between subjective SES and online counseling outcomes. Children and youth (N = 2139) between 10 and 24 years-of-age received chat-based online counseling and reported on SES, negative feelings before and after the chat, and perceived helpfulness of the chat via an online assessment tool. The results of a latent change score model showed a significant association between SES and negative feelings before chatting, indicating that lower SES predicted more negative feelings (r = −0.26, p < .001). Further, SES was indirectly associated with the change in negative feelings from before to after counseling, mediated by the extent of negative feelings before the chat (β = 0.07, 95%CFI = [0.05–0.10]). Current findings extend research on online counseling programs in the context of SES. Despite higher counseling needs among low SES individuals, they do not benefit proportionally from existing online services in this sample. Future research should investigate barriers to help-seeking and implement specialized counselor training programs.
Responding to the increasing challenges to mental health equity, Talk It Out Counseling Clinic (the Clinic), an innovative, public-facing counselling service, was established at the University of Toronto during the pandemic. Operating on the principles of anti-oppression and trauma-informed care, the Clinic trains Master of Social Work students to deliver mental health counselling to populations encountering multiple barriers to mental health equity through phone or video. Guided by a quality improvement framework, this study used chart reviews to examine the demographic characteristics, initial mental health status and service utilisation of clients (N = 116) who completed services at the Clinic during its inaugural year. Three-quarters of the clients identified as Black or other racialised individuals, and over 70 per cent rated their general mental health as poor or fair. Nearly 80 per cent of clients referred to the Clinic proceeded to an intake, amongst whom 69.6 per cent successfully completed the services. Warm handoff was associated with service engagement, whilist men and older clients were more likely to terminate the services prematurely. The study underscores the mental health needs of communities confronting multiple challenges and illuminates the processes conducive to client engagement and service delivery within an innovative, school-run mental health clinic.
Online mental health support communities, in which volunteer counselors provide accessible mental and emotional health support, have grown in recent years. Despite millions of people using these platforms, the clinical effectiveness of these communities on mental health symptoms remains unknown. Although volunteers receive some training on the therapeutic skills proven effective in face-to-face environments, such as active listening and motivational interviewing, it is unclear how the usage of these skills in an online context affects people's mental health. In our work, we collaborate with one of the largest online peer support platforms and use both natural language processing and machine learning techniques to examine how one-on-one support chats on the platform affect clients' depression and anxiety symptoms. We measure how characteristics of support-providers, such as their experience on the platform and use of therapeutic skills (e.g. affirmation, showing empathy), affect support-seekers' mental health changes. Based on a propensity-score matching analysis to approximate a random-assignment experiment, results shows that online peer support chats improve both depression and anxiety symptoms with a statistically significant but relatively small effect size. Additionally, support providers' techniques such as emphasizing the autonomy of the client lead to better mental health outcomes. However, we also found that the use of some behaviors, such as persuading and providing information, are associated with worsening of mental health symptoms. Our work provides key understanding for mental health care in the online setting and designing training systems for online support providers.
With the COVID-19 epidemic starting in early 2020, the unintentional mass migration to online therapy has drastically changed the landscape. Because of this, mental health professionals need to be conscious of the fact that their traditional ethical obligations still hold even while using technology to offer a service. This scoping study examined the applicability of telepsychology among mental health practitioners as well as its ethical and clinical concerns. There is general agreement in this study that providing mental health treatments to clients via telepsychology is a realistic and practical option both before and after the epidemic. There was a clear pattern that the most prevalent clinical concerns were restricted nonverbal communication between the therapist and the client, communication difficulties in the therapeutic relationship, unsuitable to some mental health disorders, and clinician exhaustion. On the other side, privacy, and secrecy, insufficient telepsychology training and instruction, boundary-related concerns, insufficient telepsychology rules, and handling emergencies were significant ethical issues. These findings open the door to telepsychology, a workable method of providing mental health and psychosocial treatments that aim to reach clients across geographic boundaries and continue the transformative job of fostering change, healing, and growth among clients. Understanding these problems makes it easier for mental health practitioners to respond to future public health emergencies and other natural catastrophes
Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Die Zahl der Menschen nimmt zu, die an Krebs erkranken, als Cancer Survivors weiterleben und zusammen mit ihren Angehörigen im Krankheitsverlauf Informations- und Beratungsbedürfnisse haben. Die Krebsliga Schweiz bietet mit der Cancerline eine Chat-basierte Beratung für Cancer Survivors an. Fragestellung/Ziel: Welche Bedürfnisse äußern Cancer Survivors in der Chat-Beratung Cancerline und was bedeutet dies für die Weiterentwicklung sowie Qualitätssicherung von Chat-basierter Beratung bei Krebs? Methode: Basierend auf den Prinzipien der Interpretive Description ( Thorne, 2016 ) wurden in sechs Analyseschritten 669 Chat-Beratungsprotokolle mit reflexiver thematischer Analyse nach Braun et al. (2018) in einem iterativen Prozess ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Die Bedürfnisse zu Cancer Survivorship in der Cancerline sind vielschichtig. Neun Themen wurden identifiziert: Anonymen Chat zur Kommunikation brauchen, sich informieren, ethische Dilemmata abwägen und Entscheidungen treffen, Sinn und Hoffnung suchen, Wege zum Umgang mit belastenden Emotionen finden, soziale Konflikte lösen und andere nicht belasten, sich verstanden fühlen und eigenen Bedürfnissen Raum geben, Angehörigen-Rolle klären und sich korrekt verhalten, sowie nach Sicherheit streben. Schlussfolgerungen: Chat-basierte Beratung kann möglicherweise dazu beitragen, Cancer Survivors alltagsnah und flexibel bei Informationsbedürfnissen zu Krebs zu unterstützen. Fachpersonen können Betroffene auf Chat-basierte Beratung aufmerksam und so niederschwellige Beratung zugänglich machen.
Drawing on emotional labour theory, this paper explores the barriers to emotionally complex telework, with a specific focus on the space, interface and pace of work. We examine the working lives of mental health counsellors who adapted from in‐person delivery to online delivery whilst working from home, during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Our qualitative data set comprises of semi‐structured online interviews with 31 counsellors across the United Kingdom. Findings reveal that boundary issues, increased technical interruptions, increased screen time and associated fatigue, and increased contact‐ability due to digitalisation were key barriers to conducting emotionally complex tasks and exacerbated the emotional labour of participants creating more negative outcomes. This resulted in heightened emotion management in the home space, emotional dissonance, stress and in some cases, burn‐out.
Introduction
The spread of online platform services offering psychological psychotherapy and counselling has been observed globally. In Italy, these services were aimed at young people and offered job opportunities to early-career clinical psychologists.
Aim
The current study aimed to explore the professional experiences of early-career psychologists (age range: 29–35 years) in working on online platform services that deliver psychotherapy and counselling in Italy.
Method
A total of 13 psychologists practising psychological interventions on online platform services were interviewed. Participants had a mean of 3 years' clinical experience. A thematic analysis, following the qualitative approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), was performed.
Results
From the analysis, four superordinate themes emerged: (1) a smart intervention; (2) professional identity; (3) a different and wide contact; and (4) grateful to the platform, loyal to the ‘company’.
Discussion
The online platforms represented a ‘medium’ with a ‘third’ function on a double level. At one level, they mediated between the request of the client and the psychologist, using the suggestions of AI algorithms. At another level, they offered employability and a guide to online interventions to early-career psychologists. Some critical issues related to ethics emerged considering the difficulty in maintaining the psychologists' autonomy before the affiliation to the business model promoted by the company, which may not match the client's interests.
Conclusion
The study highlights that online platforms promote a new culture of psychological health services, changing the representations and meanings attributed to the online intervention, the clinical profession and the psychologist–client relationship.
The emotional, social, and mental impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is well established. So far little attention has been paid to trainee psychotherapists during this challenging period. This study explores the experiences of trainee integrative psychotherapists, when they had to switch to online psychotherapy via videoconferencing with their clients in the beginning of their internship due to the quarantine. Following the qualitative paradigm six trainee psychotherapists participated voluntarily. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online to investigate in depth their experiences. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed by the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. Four master themes were identified from the narratives which refer to the quarantine, the challenges of the online framework, being a trainee therapist and the advantages of the online framework. The first three master themes are divided into subordinate themes. Findings were compared and discussed based on the existing literature. The pandemic created a lot of free time, which the trainees dedicated to their studying. Participants were trained to the online psychotherapy throughout the process, as they were unprepared for the sudden change. Most of them presented hesitant with negative attitudes toward online psychotherapy via videoconferencing but over time participants changed. They became more experienced and strengthened their image as therapists. In this process, the supervisor had an essential role. Findings strongly indicate and support the necessity of training online according to the existing literature.
The purpose of this study was to explore the potential affordances and challenges of 3D virtual environments in psychoeducational group counseling. The research design was based on multiple case study methodology. Face-to-face and 3D virtual psychoeducational counseling groups were formed that focused on procrastination, and multiple forms of data were collected from both groups' participants. The study's results revealed that perceived affordances of the 3D environment for group counseling were similar in both groups, with self-disclosure, anonymity, convenience, interactive environment, and accessible content as the emerged affordances. However, the study also revealed mixed results in terms of perceived challenges. While interaction issues, multitasking, lack of social interaction, and trust concerns emerged as common to both groups, factors such as technical issues and negative attitudes towards virtual intervention were revealed as divergent themes. Intervention outcome results revealed similar patterns in terms of procrastination behavior change in both groups.
This paper examines the use of video in the practice and methodology of counselling and therapy, attempting an overall literature review and critical evaluation of its applications up to date. Traditionally, video has been used as a form of feedback in the context of therapy and counselling, as well as in the education of therapists and counsellors. In the current practice of psychology, the use of video is not restricted solely within the therapeutic session, but can also be extended to the in-between periods, that is the time periods between meetings/sessions. The use of video is aimed at responding to specific problems, emotional and cognitive distortions, which appear as a result of people's traumatic experiences. Video has multiple applicationsin counselling as well as Art therapies, such as drama therapy, visual therapy etc. The technological possibilities of video can be utilized in the context of adopting strategies that reinforce interaction with patients and interplay during artistic therapeutic activities. Besides, designing therapeutic approaches based on creating films and videos has been placed in the centre of innovative endeavours. The use of video affects therapeutic change along with responses, the experiences of counsellees and counsellors, it improves and reinforces the result of therapy and counselling.
This study offers insights into the divide between connected and disconnected online culture. Using the vehicle of anonymity, and more specifically, Reddit, this study set out to discover the difference in communication between users who practiced connected communication with positive dialogue and those who practiced disconnection with negative or divisive dialogue. This study was conducted using a thematic analysis of 6 subreddits identified as fitting the criteria for either “connected” or “disconnected” communication; these subreddits were: r/stopdrinking, r/suicidewatch, r/casualconversation, r/twoxchromosomes, r/politics, and r/the_donald. A careful analysis indicated the presence of groupthink, collective assembly, and common enemy intimacy among the subreddits studied here. Together, these themes provided evidence that users who practiced invitational rhetoric (Foss and Griffin, 1995) and recognized the humanity of other users practiced more connection than users who did not. Moreover, evidence suggests that how users process their cognitive dissonance in response to complex and challenging ideas may be underlying to the choice to connect or disconnect. Users who seek shared human experience appear to practice connection while users who diffuse their dissonance through dehumanization and common enemy intimacy practice disconnection. This research offers valuable insights into the world of online anonymity and the dialogue that takes place there.
The author asserts that the mental health profession is unprepared for the likely growth and related implications of mental health therapy delivered over the Internet. Clinical, ethical, and economic issues are addressed. Conclusions are that therapy can be done online, that it can be done ethically, and that online services might not be a serious threat to face-to-face therapy. Regulatory and professional organizations are strongly advised to cooperate with each other. Suggestions include how practitioners and educators might develop skills, how ethics and legislation might be coordinated, how research might be facilitated, and how certain support systems might be established. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Rapid development of Internet technology has allowed a growing number of individuals and corporations to offer consumers, health care services, or "eHealth," including counseling and therapy. Almost no information exists about such individuals, due in part to difficulties in conducting research over the Internet. An Internet survey solicited backgrounds, communication technologies, and clinical interventions from individual behavioral eHealth care practitioners. Results are discussed regarding legal, ethical, and professional issues related to use of different Internet technologies. Psychologists are urged to give proper attention to empirical research, language, and current standards of practice before attempting to deliver counseling or psychotherapy over the Internet. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article describes the development and empirical status of guided Internet-delivered self-help. The treatment approach combines the benefits of bibliotherapy with book-length text materials and the support given online via web pages and e-mail. Interactive features such as online registrations, tests, and online discussion forums are also included. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) guided the research and clinical implementations of this approach, as it lends itself more easily to the self-help format compared with other presently available psychotherapy approaches. We include an overview of the research, current issues and research in service delivery, lessons learned through a program of research, and directions for future investigations.
People are increasingly required to disclose personal information to computer- and Internet-based systems in order to register, identify themselves or simply for the system to work as designed.
In the present paper, we outline two different methods to easily measure people’s behavioral self-disclosure to web-based forms. The first, the use of an ‘I prefer not to say’ option to sensitive questions is shown to be responsive to the manipulation of level of privacy concern by increasing the salience of privacy issues, and to experimental manipulations of privacy. The second, blurring or increased ambiguity was used primarily by males in response to an income question in a high privacy condi-
tion. Implications for the study of self-disclosure in human–computer interaction
Online support groups have been used extensively, in numerous areas of distress, for 15 years. Researchers have presented conflicting findings and ideas about their effectiveness in helping people cope with respective problems. Our review of quantitative studies and our qualitative exploration of the nature of the experiences that occur in such groups show that several factors operate to potentially affect participants. Personal and interpersonal dynamics, which are central in producing effects in these groups, are induced and accelerated by the powerful online disinhibition effect. These factors, including the very impact of writing, expressions of emotions, collecting information and thereby improving understanding and knowledge, developing social relationships, and enhancing decision-making skills and consequent behavioral actions all serve as possible generators of a sense of personal empowerment for people in distress. This view may explain why empirical research has frequently found little or no specific outcomes from participating in online support groups; however, it has found much support for nonspecific personal impacts of this means of intervention. Thus, we contend that online support groups are designed to foster, and many of them actually do, well-being, a sense of control, self-confidence, feelings of more independence, social interactions, and improved feelings—all nonspecific but highly important psychological factors. As such, participating in an online support group could foster personal empowerment, which is much needed in handling specific conditions of distress. Nonetheless, this participation has potential costs, too, especially developing dependence, distancing from in-person contacts, and exposure to unpleasant experiences typical of social engagement in cyberspace.
The current article reviews the most recent literature addressing the definitions, ethical considerations, and potential strengths and limitations of online therapy. In addition, a framework is provided for how to conceptualize and categorize different aspects of online therapy for research purposes. Relevant studies of both online and face-to-face therapy as well as suggestions for future research are outlined.
While online, some people self-disclose or act out more frequently or intensely than they would in person. This article explores six factors that interact with each other in creating this online disinhibition effect: dissociative anonymity, invisibility, asynchronicity, solipsistic introjection, dissociative imagination, and minimization of authority. Personality variables also will influence the extent of this disinhibition. Rather than thinking of disinhibition as the revealing of an underlying "true self," we can conceptualize it as a shift to a constellation within self-structure, involving clusters of affect and cognition that differ from the in-person constellation.
Social support networks have been identified as one factor that can help people resolve their problem drinking. A relatively new phenomenon is online support groups, such as the one provided on the Alcohol Help Center (AHC; http://www.alcoholhelpcenter.net). Preliminary use of the AHC support group will be summarized and lessons learned in the initial development of an online support group will be discussed.
The AHC support group can be viewed by anyone interested in its content. However, only registered users of the AHC can make postings and trained professional staff moderates all support group content. The amount and content of traffic on this support group were recorded. Qualitative analyses were conducted to identify the types of message content.
There were 674 posts on the AHC during the first 10 months of operation, including those made by the professional moderators. Content analyses of these postings identified common themes, including introductions, greetings, general supportive statements, suggested strategies, success stories, and discussion of difficulties. In addition, it appeared that the amount of traffic on the support group varied over time and clustered around nodes that consisted of one or more active users. This variation in traffic may disappear over time as overall use of the AHC support group increases.
Online support groups are developing into a new venue of support for those with drinking problems and other addictions concerns.
Consider referring clients to an online, professionally moderated, support group as another means to help problem drinkers.
The study goal was to develop and test the effectiveness of a brief online education and support program for female infertility patients.
A randomized-controlled trial was conducted. Using a Solomon-four group design, 190 female patients were recruited from three US fertility centers and were randomized into two experimental and two no-treatment control groups. The psychological outcomes assessed included infertility distress, infertility self-efficacy, decisional conflict, marital cohesion and coping style. Program dosage and satisfaction were also assessed at four weeks follow-up.
Women exposed to the online program significantly improved in the area of social concerns (P = 0.038) related to infertility distress, and felt more informed about a medical decision with which they were contending (P = 0.037). Trends were observed for decreased global stress(P = 0.10), sexual concerns (P = 0.059), distress related to child-free living (P = 0.063), increased infertility self-efficacy (P = 0.067) and decision making clarity (P = 0.079). A dosage response was observed in the experimental groups for women who spent >60 min online for decreased global stress (P = 0.028) and increased self efficacy (P = 0.024).
This evidence-based eHealth program for women experiencing infertility suggests that a web-based patient education intervention can have beneficial effects in several psychological domains and may be a cost effective resource for fertility practices.
Since the advent of the Internet, social critics have debated its effects on intimacy and social relationships. I show how, by writing detailed descriptions of their illness experiences, participants in online support groups create emotionally vibrant, empathic communities in which emotional rhetoric frames various moral dilemmas. I illustrate my argument with a detailed analysis of “emotion talk” among members of an HIV/AIDS support group over a 2-year period. My findings add to current debates by encouraging sociologists to consider the emotional dynamics within the online support group as a moral, rather than just psychological or therapeutic, component of interaction.
Ever since the rise of online support groups it has been presumed that there is an empowering effect from patients' participating in these groups, despite a lack of evidence to back up this assumption. In this study we explored if, and in which ways, patients feel empowered by participation. Additionally, we studied which empowering and disempowering processes occur as a result of taking part in these groups. To accomplish this aim, we interviewed 32 participants of online support groups. This analysis revealed the following empowering processes: exchanging information, encountering emotional support, finding recognition, sharing experiences, helping others, and amusement. Disempowering processes were mentioned far less often. Empowering outcomes mentioned were being better informed; feeling confident in the relationship with their physician, their treatment, and their social environment; improved acceptance of the disease; increased optimism and control; enhanced self-esteem and social well-being; and collective action. This article demonstrates that participation in online support groups can make a valuable contribution to the emergence of empowered patients.
The Internet provides a new modality for health communication by facilitating the creation of virtual communities. These communities have the potential to influence health behavior beyond traditional FTF support groups. This study utilized content analysis of 1,424 e-mail messages posted to 2 online cancer communities to examine uses of these groups. Findings revealed (a) similarities in the content of communication in the 2 virtual communities, (b) gender differences in participation, and (c) differences in utilization of these online groups between patients and family members. These results are discussed in light of the diverse uses of online cancer communities that they reveal, the role of family members in support seeking and provision, and gender communication styles in health computer-mediated communication.
Accurately detecting emotional expression in women with primary breast cancer participating in support groups may be important for therapists and researchers. In 2 small studies (N = 20 and N = 16), the authors examined whether video coding, human text coding, and automated text analysis provided consistent estimates of the level of emotional expression. In Study 1, the authors compared coding from videotapes and text transcripts of face-to-face groups. In Study 2, the authors examined transcripts of online synchronous groups. The authors found that human text coding significantly overestimated Positive Affect and underestimated Defensive/Hostile Affect compared with video coding. They found correlations were low for Positive Affect but moderate for negative affect between Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) and video coding. The implications of utilizing text-only detection of emotion are discussed.
The author asserts that the mental health profession is unprepared for the likely growth and related implications of mental health therapy delivered over the Internet. Clinical, ethical, and economic issues are addressed. Conclusions are that therapy can be done online, that it can be done ethically, and that online services might not be a serious threat to face-to-face therapy. Regulatory and professional organizations are strongly advised to cooperate with each other. Suggestions include how practitioners and educators might develop skills, how ethics and legislation might be coordinated, how research might be facilitated, and how certain support systems might be established.
A survey of 136 Web sites offering counseling through computer chat rooms and e‐mail revealed a wide range of credentials of providers, fees for service, and low levels of compliance with the ethical standards for WebCounseling published by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Eight months after the first data collection point, more than a third of the WebCounseling sites were no longer in operation. Credentialed professionals provided significantly higher levels of compliance with NBCC standards than did noncredentialed providers. Implications of Web services for professional practice and public confidence in the profession in this medium are discussed.
The evolution of the Internet into the information highway offers many future possibilities and potential problems in the delivery of counseling services. Features of the current Internet are briefly reviewed, and the results of an analysis of counseling applications on the Internet are presented and discussed. Current experience with computer networks, counseling applications, and the likely features of the future information highway provides a foundation for exploring the potential benefits and limitations of using this technology in counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
People in stressful circumstances, such as serious health conditions, often turn to support groups. With the increase in the availability and popularity of the Internet, the possibility has arisen to join support groups online. Various authors have raised potential disadvantages of these groups, such as the lack of control of the quality of the information that is exchanged and the concern that the exchange within the group might include socially inappropriate remarks. In this study we explored to what extent these potential disadvantages actually occur. In addition, we explored who uses Dutch online support groups and what is exchanged by the participants. By means of “content analysis” we analyzed a random sample of 1500 messages from publicly available online support groups for patients with breast cancer, arthritis and fibromyalgia. It appeared that the online support groups under study were mainly used by female patients. A major part of the postings contained “off topic” remarks. Popular health related topics were “restrictions in daily life” and “regular medication”. Only in a minor proportion of the postings, potential disadvantages were present. Therefore this study suggests that online support groups are a viable option for support.
With the advent of guided self-help via the Internet it has become increasingly important to investigate predictors of treatment outcome. The present study analyzed predictors of outcome using data from a randomized controlled trial on panic disorder [Carlbring, P. et al. (2005). Treatment of panic disorder: Live therapy versus self-help via Internet. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 1321–1333]. Half of the sample received therapist guided Internet treatment (N=25) and the other half face to face treatment (N=24) in individual sessions during a 10-week study period. Results showed that agoraphobic avoidance was predictive of outcome in the face to face treatment, but not in the Internet treatment. A self-report screening of personality disorder (anxious cluster) was associated with worse outcome for the Internet treatment, but surprisingly associated with better outcome in face to face treatment. Cognitive capacity as measured by a test of verbal fluency was not predictive of outcome in the Internet group, and neither was a rating of treatment credibility. Overall, we conclude that in relation to face to face treatment different predictors of outcome should be investigated for Internet treatment. Internet treatment might be more suitable for certain clients who might benefit from remote treatment in the early phase of treatment.
This study examines the effects of illness (cancer and Parkinson’s [PD]) on three moderators, the expression of positive and negative emotions and cognitive mechanisms. Each illness makes its own unique demands on patients and may influence change mechanisms. Similarly, we are asking, what effects do the type of leadership have on mediators that have previously been linked to positive outcomes. Four types of groups were studied, professional, the wellness community (TWC) chat mixed cancer (N groups=4) and TWC chat PD patient groups (N groups=6). The two peer groups were bulletin boards for colorectal cancer (N groups=1) and PD BBs (N groups=6). The design was a 2×2, disease and leader type. Computer-based text analysis, the linguistic inquiry and word count assessed the dependent variables. The results of the Manova found that; disease is P=NS, leader type, P=.00, interaction, P=.00. The interaction between disease and leader type is statistically significant, indicating that disease in combination with whether the leader is a peer or professional effects the expression of emotions and cognitive mechanisms.
Several studies have shown that e-mail counseling improves weight loss achieved in self-directed Internet programs. Computer-tailored feedback offers a population-based alternative to human e-mail counseling.
One hundred ninety-two adults, aged 49.2 +/- 9.8 years, having a body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) of 32.7 +/- 3.5, were randomized to 1 of 3 Internet treatment groups: No counseling, computer-automated feedback, or human e-mail counseling. All participants received 1 weight loss group session, coupons for meal replacements, and access to an interactive Web site. The human e-mail counseling and computer-automated feedback groups also had access to an electronic diary and message board. The human e-mail counseling group received weekly e-mail feedback from a counselor, and the computer-automated feedback group received automated, tailored messages.
Retention was 82% at 3 months and 80% at 6 months for all 3 groups. At 3 months, completers in both the computer-automated feedback (-5.3 +/- 4.2 kg) and human e-mail counseling (-6.1 +/- 3.9 kg) groups had significantly greater weight losses compared with the no counseling group (-2.8 +/- 3.5 kg) and these groups did not differ from each other. At 6 months, weight losses were significantly greater in the human e-mail counseling group (-7.3 +/- 6.2 kg) than in the computer-automated feedback (-4.9 +/- 5.9 kg) or no counseling (-2.6 +/- 5.7 kg) groups. Intent-to-treat analyses using single or multiple imputation techniques showed the same pattern of significance.
Providing automated computer-tailored feedback in an Internet weight loss program was as effective as human e-mail counseling at 3 months. Further research is needed to improve the efficacy of automated computer-tailored feedback as a population-based weight loss approach.
This article illustrates the role electronic support groups play in consumer-driven medicalization. The analysis is based on an observational study of a year in the life of an electronic support group for sufferers of the contested illness fibromyalgia syndrome. The analysis builds on and extends scholarship concerning the growing influence of lay expertise in the context of medical uncertainty by showing how the dominant beliefs and routine practices of this electronic community simultaneously (and paradoxically) challenge the expertise of physicians and encourage the expansion of medicine's jurisdiction. Drawing on their shared embodied expertise, participants confirm the medical character of their problem and its remedy, and they empower each other to search for physicians who will recognize and treat their condition accordingly. Physician compliance is introduced as a useful concept for understanding the relationship between lay expertise, patient-consumer demand, and contemporary (and future) instances of medicalization.
Alcohol misuse amongst University students is a serious concern, and research has started to investigate the feasibility of using e-health interventions. This study aimed to establish the effectiveness of an electronic web-based personalised feedback intervention through the use of a randomised control trial (RCT).
506 participants were stratified by gender, age group, year of study, self-reported weekly consumption of alcohol and randomly assigned to either a control or intervention condition. Intervention participants received electronic personalised feedback and social norms information on their drinking behaviour which they could access by logging onto the website at any time during the 12-week period. CAGE score, average number of alcoholic drinks consumed per drinking occasion, and alcohol consumption over the last week were collected from participants at pre- and post-survey.
A significant difference in pre- to post-survey mean difference of alcohol consumed per occasion was found, with those in the intervention condition displaying a larger mean decrease when compared to controls. No intervention effect was found for units of alcohol consumed per week or for CAGE scores. Sixty-three percent of intervention participants agreed that the feedback provided was useful. Those intervention participants who were above the CAGE cut off were more likely to report that the website would make them think more about the amount they drank.
Delivering an electronic personalised feedback intervention to students via the World Wide Web is a feasible and potentially effective method of reducing student alcohol intake. Further research is needed to replicate this outcome, evaluate maintenance of any changes, and investigate the process of interaction with web-based interventions.
Choosing an online therapist: A step by step guide to finding professional help on the web
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Guide to online psychology
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Best practices in eTherapy: Legal and licensing issues
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E-therapy: History and survey
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