Legal and Ethical Challenges in Online Counselor Education

Abstract

College counselors work collaboratively with professionals in a variety of disciplines in higher education to coordinate gatekeeper training to prepare university community members to recognize and refer students in mental distress to support services. This article describes the cross-validation of scores on the Mental Distress Response Scale (MDRS), a questionnaire for appraising university community members' responses to encountering a student in mental distress, with a sample of faculty members. A confirmatory factor analysis revealed the dimensions of the MDRS were estimated adequately. Results also revealed demographic differences in faculty members' responses to encountering a student in mental distress. The MDRS has implications for augmenting the outreach efforts of college counselors. For example, the MDRS has potential utility for enhancing campus-wide mental health screening efforts. The MDRS also has implications for supporting psychoeducation efforts, including gatekeeper training workshops, for professional counselors practicing in college settings.

A call to action: Online learning and distance education in the training of couple and family therapists

“…Factors that may negatively influence student satisfaction and retention include student challenges with technology and navigating online courses, not understanding course instructions, limitations with computer literacy, and issues with course design (Vincenzes & Drew, 2017). Additionally, distance education can be isolating and requires especially strong time management and other self‐regulation skills (Sheperis et al, 2020). Factors that can positively contribution to retention, include early and continued interaction with course faculty, interactive tools that contribute to a sense of presence and engagement, and providing technological training and support for students (Vincenzes & Drew, 2017).…”

“…Nowhere is the adequacy of distance learning more consequential than with preparing professionals for clinical practice. Social work and counselor educators echo the concerns expressed in the CFT literature (Boyle & McDowell‐Burns, 2016; Nadan et al, 2020; Perry, 2012) about whether entirely distance‐based methods are sufficient for training in clinical professions (Chen et al, 2020; Levin et al, 2018; Sheperis et al, 2020). These concerns focus both on developing clinical skills, as well as on assessment of student competency and upholding gatekeeping responsibilities (Haddock et al, 2020).…”

“…One key recommendation for teaching and assessing clinical skills concerns the importance of building strong relationships between faculty and students and providing ample opportunities for synchronous, small group interactions that allow faculty to both model and assess interpersonal and multicultural competencies (Chen et al, 2020). The incorporation of residency experiences into online programs (i.e., a hybrid design) can be essential for accurate assessment of clinical skills and disposition (Sheperis et al, 2020). Counselor educators also advocate for having thoroughly articulated standards for assessing counselor disposition, whether dispositional assessment happens during online or in‐person interactions (Haddock et al, 2020).…”

“…Clinical training online also involves unique ethical challenges. Online counselor education programs face similar ethical considerations as on‐campus programs, including gatekeeping and evaluating fitness to practice, however, there are unique ethical and legal considerations associated with online counselor education (Sheperis et al, 2020). Laws pertinent to clinical practice, such as mandated reporting and duty to warn, vary from state to state as do the endorsement of codes of ethics in state regulations, resulting in challenges associated with preparing students across states to practice ethically and legally (Sheperis et al, 2020).…”

“…Distance learning involves unique considerations regarding security of communication and confidentiality in online interactions, particularly with regard to regulations protecting health information and student privacy (Sheperis et al, 2020). For example, student photos or videos are a protected educational record under federal regulations that assure student privacy; faculty recording classes must take care to adhere to students’ rights under these regulations.…”