A Comparison of a Client’s Satisfaction between Online and Face-to-face Counselling in a School Setting

Abstract

During the current Covid-19 pandemic, the social relationship between humans has changed. As noticed, lockdowns and social distancing have become new norms. Unavoidably, counselling services were also affected with social distancing rules, especially in the school setting. Thus, online counselling or e-counselling has begun to gain in popularity, allowing counsellors to offer their services in an alternative way. In order to evaluate the suitability of e-counselling during the current pandemic, a client’s satisfaction towards e-counselling and face-to-face counselling needs to be investigated. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of these two counselling approaches using the level of the client’s satisfaction and its implication towards counselling practises during the outbreak. Quantitative data were obtained using the Client’s Satisfaction Inventory Short-Form (CSI-SF) questionnaire. The experimental design consisted of a total of 60 study subjects in two groups, namely the control group using the face-to-face Counselling method and the experimental group using the e-Counselling method. Based on the results, the difference in mean score showed that the mean difference in the experimental group was slightly higher than the control group. This finding indicates that e-counselling clients have a higher satisfaction compared to the face-to-face approach. The implications of this data are discussed on the role of school, school counsellor, and the government in enhancing the service of e-counselling during the current pandemic.

Virtual School Counseling during COVID-19: Perspectives from School Counselors and Interns

“…Although VSC for K-12 students appears rigorous, its advantages of accessibility and convenience cannot be understated. This finding is corroborated by previous studies (Zainudin et al, 2021). Some researchers such as Mtemeri et al (2021) cited similar advantages but suggested that video counseling is preferred over other VSC methods such as messaging or phone calling.…”

Therapeutic presence, working alliance, and clients’ attitudes toward online therapy.

“…Hence, it is necessary to understand their perspective on relational aspects, not only in the traditional context but also in the emerging context of online therapy. The literature indicates that online therapy seems to be better accepted by clients than by therapists (Watts et al, 2020); clients not only score the working alliance more positively than therapists but also show higher satisfaction levels similar to face-to-face therapy (Zainudin & Yusop, 2018; Zainudin et al, 2021). Regarding clients’ attitudes, previous experience or the knowledge of this possibility seems to lead to more positive attitudes toward online therapy (Knechtel & Erickson, 2021).…”

Influence of E-Counseling Skills on Counseling Self-Efficacy Among E-Counselors in Malaysia

“…E-mail is the most frequently used method of e-counseling then and now (Mejah et al, 2019). Presently, additional technologically-advanced modalities such as telephone counseling, private chatting, text messaging, and video conferencing have become available to many (Zainudin et al, 2021).…”