![Sample our Behavioral Sciences journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110801/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Behavioral-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
Aims: The therapeutic alliance is a concept that has received a great deal of attention within face-to-face counselling. Furthermore, links have been made between the creation of strong alliances and successful therapeutic outcomes. This study examines the therapeutic alliance when counselling services are offered online to young people. Method: Fifteen young people took part in online interviews (utilising synchronous and asynchronous methods), and Grounded Theory techniques were utilised to analyse the data. Findings: A core category of ‘Client-Service Match’ and three subcategories pertinent to the individuals’ experiences of creating good quality relationships with the counsellors were identified: (1) initial engagement, (2) developing rapport, and (3) establishing control. Discussion: The themes elicited are all relevant to the matching process and viewed as a chronological process similar to face-to-face counselling. However, unlike face-to-face work, specific nuances related to the online work arise that counsellors should be mindful of, including the rationale behind each individual's choice to approach services online, their own computer-mediated communication skills, technical hurdles, and the perceived ‘power’ of the counsellor.
Acknowledgements
I particularly wish to acknowledge the support of Kooth throughout this project and the young people who very kindly gave up their time to take part in the study. Additionally, I would like to thank colleagues at the University of Manchester (Liz Ballinger, Clare Lennie and William West), and Aaron Sefi for reading through drafts of this paper.