Cybertherapy or psychobabble? A mixed methods study of online emotional support

Callahan, Amy; Inckle, Kay

doi:10.1080/03069885.2012.681768

Cited by 53 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Approximately 80% of young people accessing online chat services are female (Callahan & Inckle, 2012;Fukkink & Hermanns, 2009;, whereas approximately 70% of telephone counselling clients are female (Fukkink & Hermanns, 2009;. There is also evidence to suggest that online clients present with higher levels of distress, with a naturalistic comparison of online chat and telephone services confirming this .…”

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confidence: 79%

“…A small but important proportion of online conversations are related to abuse and violence (Callahan & Inckle, 2012;Fukkink & Hermanns, 2009). However, the lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of treatment for specific presenting problems has led some to suggest that issues with a high risk of harm, such as severe depression or suicidal thoughts, may not be suitable for the online chat format (Haberstroh, Parr, Bradley, Morgan-Fleming, & Gee, 2008;Murphy et al, 2011).…”

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confidence: 98%

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Experiences of Counsellors Providing Online Chat Counselling to Young People

Dowling

Rickwood

2014

Aust. j. guid. couns.

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Online counselling is a rapidly growing field and, while there is emerging evidence of its comparative effectiveness, there has been little research into what techniques are being applied in practice and which clients will most likely benefit from this medium. Using a focus group methodology, this study examines the experiences of 19 online clinicians employed by a youth mental health service, investigating their perception of online clients, views on their counsellor roles, the approaches and techniques they employ, and the unique aspects of counselling in an online environment. Overall, online clinicians perceived their clients as presenting with highly complex problems and a high level of psychological distress. They noted online clients would most often use the service once or twice, and that some would use online chat as an adjunct to face-to-face counselling. The online clinicians described various roles, including: assessments, gatekeeping, providing emotional support, and therapeutic interventions. According to the online clinicians, they used a variety of techniques online, but favoured person-centred techniques, as these helped keep the clients engaged with the service. Areas of further research and implications for practice are discussed.

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confidence: 79%

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confidence: 98%

Experiences of Counsellors Providing Online Chat Counselling to Young People

Dowling

Rickwood

2014

Aust. j. guid. couns.

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“…For instance, practical concerns are noted around the infrastructure needed for such practice (Callahan & Inckle, 2012;Hanley, 2006) and the delivery of effective therapeutic interventions are also raised. In relation to the latter, King, Bambling, Reid, and Thomas (2006) and King, Bambling, Lloyd, et al (2006) report user concerns over the counsellor's ability to grasp their feelings (and vice versa), the limited exchange time in text format within the time constraints, and the loss of immediacy in online practices.…”

Section: Developing Accessible Counselling For Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Online and Face-to-Face Student Counselling: What Therapeutic Goals Are Identified and What Are the Implications for Educational Providers?

Hanley

Ersahin

Sefi³

et al. 2016

J. Psychol. Couns. Sch.

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Online counselling is increasingly being used as an alternative to face-to-face student counselling. Using an exploratory mixed methods design, this project investigates the practice by examining the types of therapeutic goals that 11 to 25 year olds identify online in routine practice. These goals are then compared to goals identified in equivalent school and community-based counselling services. 1,137 online goals (expressed by 504 young people) and 221 face-to-face goals (expressed by 220 young people) were analysed for key themes using grounded theory techniques. This analysis identified three core categories (1) Intrapersonal Goals, (2) Interpersonal Goals, and (3) Intrapersonal Goals directly related to others. Further statistical analysis of these themes indicated that online and face-to-face services appear to be being used in different ways by students. These differences are discussed alongside the implications for professionals working in educational settings.

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“…Practitioners of many disciplines are involved in undertaking consultative activities for parents, and familiarity with the specific characteristics of online guidance and counselling seems to be low (Callahan & Inckle, 2012;Nieuwboer et al, 2013). Furthermore, even when adequate training is provided, low adherence to a training or manual to ensure treatment integrity is a well-known problem in counselling, in general, and can also be an important factor hindering full implementation (see, for instance, Bagraith, Chardon, & King, 2010;Finn & Barak, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Single session email consultation for parents: an evaluation of its effect on empowerment

Fukkink

Hermanns

2014

British Journal of Guidance & Counselling

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This study evaluated the effect of single session email consultation (SSEC) on empowerment of parents. Practitioners in a control group (n = 19) received no training and practitioners in an experimental group (n = 21) were trained to use empowermentoriented techniques in online consultation. Parental empowerment was measured (n = 96) through a questionnaire based on the Family Empowerment Scale before and after receiving advice from a trained or a non-trained practitioner. Parents showed a significant increase in the subscale of self-confidence (Cohen's d = 0.33). Study findings lend support to the feasibility of SSEC as a brief intervention to improve selfconfidence of parents. A training for practitioners did not influence the outcomes.

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Cybertherapy or psychobabble? A mixed methods study of online emotional support

Cited by 53 publications

References 53 publications

Experiences of Counsellors Providing Online Chat Counselling to Young People

Experiences of Counsellors Providing Online Chat Counselling to Young People

Comparing Online and Face-to-Face Student Counselling: What Therapeutic Goals Are Identified and What Are the Implications for Educational Providers?

Single session email consultation for parents: an evaluation of its effect on empowerment

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