Drug and alcohol counsellors’ opinions of therapist negotiated location aware outpatient support using a mobile app

ABSTRACT

As health-related mobile apps have proliferated in recent years in USA and Australia, counsellor opinions were solicited to aid development of therapeutic apps. After being informed of the therapeutic potential of time and location-based reminders, 33 drug and alcohol counsellors from New Zealand and Australia answered an anonymous online survey. Counsellors were willing to use timed and location based reminders to assist clients with their sobriety, but were concerned about running costs. Less experienced counsellors may be less willing to use mobile technology therapeutically. Counsellors could be willing to use location services on mobile phones therapeutically, but training may be required to address concerns about privacy and the ability to engage with clients about their spatial and temporal vulnerabilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Addiction
• online counselling
• counselling training
• telephone counselling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Jim Phillips has worked previously at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. He was then employed at Bendigo College of Advanced Education in Australia, and Monash University in Australia. He is currently at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand.

Jonathan Currie previously worked as Consultant Engineer at the Industrial Information and Control Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. He has also taught Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He is currently a Senior Guidance Navigation and Control Software Engineer at Rocket Lab Ltd in New Zealand.

Rowan Ogeil is a postdoctoral research fellow at Monash University and Turning Point in Australia. Rowan’s research has centred on understanding the impact that behaviours, particularly shift work and drug use, have on psychological outcomes, chiefly health and sleep states.

Fa'alia Vaeau previously worked as Clinical Lead of the Pacific team at Whirinaki Child, Family and Youth Mental Health within Counties Manukau District Health Board in New Zealand. He then worked at Community Alcohol and Drug Services in Auckland, New Zealand. He is currently Senior Clinician in the Headspace Youth Early Psychosis Programme on the Gold Coast in Australia.

ORCID

J.G. Phillips http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3125-4009