Counsellors’ experiences of online therapy

ABSTRACT

The study provides insight into counsellors’ experiences of counselling clients online. The foci include (a) counsellors’ experience of negotiating the therapeutic relationship online, (b) their experiences of utilising and adapting their clinical skills to assess clients in an online capacity, and (c) ethical issues associated with practicing online. Open-ended interviews were conducted with three counsellors located in Canada and one in the United States. Narrative analysis revealed eight major themes: convenience, therapeutic alliance, online counselling skills, assessing client suitability, reaching diverse clients, assessing client satisfaction, legal and ethical concerns, and personal and professional goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Online counselling
• online therapy
• distance counselling
• tele mental health
• cybercounselling
• internet counselling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shereen Khan

Shereen Khan, PhD, RCC, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at the Health and Counselling Center at Simon Fraser University, Canada, and maintains a private practice in Vancouver and provides adjunct instruction at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. At the university counselling services, her focus is on providing mental health counselling as well as supervision of practicum students. Her areas of counselling specialities include relationship, trauma and online counselling. Her teaching portfolio consists of courses in career development, counselling psychology theory and practise, critical thinking, and university transition. Her research interests include use of technology and impact on human development and qualitative research methods.

Jennifer D. Shapka

Dr. Jennifer D. Shapka is a Professor in the area of Human Development, Learning and Culture at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. As a developmental psychologist, Dr. Shapka is interested in identifying how contextual factors are contributing to developmental wellbeing for children and adolescents. For the past two decades, Dr. Shapka has explored the impact of what it means for kids to be growing up in a digital age, where technology has infiltrated most aspects of their lives. She is particularly interested in social-emotional and cognitive outcomes, and has published and presented on topics such as parenting around technology, cyberbullying, and adolescent’s understanding of online privacy. Her current research focuses on self-regulation around technology.

Jose F. Domene

Jose F. Domene, PhD, RPsych, is a professor of counselling psychology in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada. His areas of teaching include career development, counselling psychology ethics, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. His research interests include relational contexts of career development, intersections of technology and practice, and professional issues in counselling and counselling psychology in Canada. Dr. Domene is also a Registered Psychologist whose clinical work includes a focus on the intersection of career-life and mental health concerns, and on supervision of psychologists-in-training.