Online Counselling and Guidance Skills

A Practical Resource for Trainees and Practitioners

Jane Evans

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9781412948654, 9781412948647
• eBook ISBN: 9781446244241
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

?A very practical text that provides professionals new to this arena with a good introduction to what they can expect to encounter in online work. The book contains numerous thought-provoking examples and exercises for those contemplating work in virtual arenas? - Terry Hanley, Lecturer in Counselling, University of Manchester

`It?s tempting to think that face-to-face experience translates straightforwardly to online work. But it doesn?t. Jane Evans shows how many different aspects there are to counselling on-line… My advice would be, don?t attempt it until you have worked through this book? - Professor Michael Jacobs, author of Psychodynamic Counselling in Action

Counsellors - and other professionals who provide emotional support and guidance - are increasingly working online. The difference between online and face-to-face interaction with clients is vast and practitioners need to equip themselves with specialist knowledge and skills to ensure that they are being effective.

Online Counselling and Guidance Skills is the first book to deal with the practicalities of this mode of working. It looks at how practitioners need to adapt their basic counselling skills to the online environment and guides them through the process of setting up, defining and maintaining a working relationship with a client within professional, ethical and legal boundaries. Case studies and extracts from online sessions show how the skills are put into practice, while practical exercises and points for further consideration help readers to develop their own knowledge and skills.

Until now, books and articles have generally focused on the therapeutic work done by counsellors online. However, this book addresses people who use counselling skills in a wide range of contexts; including counselling, education, mental health, social care and careers guidance.

PART I

Practical Skills

One of the distinct features within the field of practice, where online counselling skills are adopted within client work, is a reliance on the practitioner feeling confident and capable with keyboard and computing skills. Competency in the use of technology and software which is adopted for computer-mediated communication (CMC) is also a necessity. System effectiveness and stability is an evident feature in this area of professional practice and requires knowledge and proficiency during the process of conducting the administration of day-to-day service delivery and instances where technology issues interfere with the potential to engage with clients.

Chapter 1 provides an opportunity for practitioners to review their existing skills and identify areas where development is required. Storage of client data and administration of systems which comply with ethical and legal requirements is an important feature within this field of practice, in conjunction with supporting clients in securing confidentiality and privacy of their communication with the practitioner. Guidance in all such areas is provided, with the inclusion of additional points of consideration to encourage thought in relation to individual requirements and variations which are apparent to both practitioners and organisations.

Chapters 2 to 5 illustrate the practical skills required for effective online engagement with clients, providing examples of skill deployment through the simulated case study examples provided.

In the context of online interactions, a practitioner is required to develop relationships in the absence of both the client’s and their own physical presence, therefore being reliant on their ability to convey sufficient presence, which encourages a willingness for clients to connect and gain a positive experience from the online exchange. Employing the use of counselling skills holds many variations to those encountered in a face-to-face setting and as such requires appropriate expertise prior to embarking on providing a service delivery. Chapters 2 to 5 cover such skill development in detail whilst encouraging the reader to undertake exercises which promote confidence and competency in this field of professional practice.

Simulated client case study examples are provided throughout Part I to further illustrate the deployment of online counselling skills, whilst also illustrating the potential for practitioners to develop a personalised style of engaging with clients. Exercises, examples, and points for consideration are also key features of each chapter.

Further reading, references, resources, and skill development activities for each chapter can be sourced via the companion website to this book.

1	THE FOUNDATIONS: A FRAMEWORK FOR PRACTICE WHEN USING ONLINE COUNSELLING SKILLS

Online counselling skills presented in this chapter: Establishing practitioner suitability for adopting the use of counselling skills in an online context Confidence building when using counselling skills with computer-mediated technology Online counselling system stability and suitability – what to do in the event of technology breakdown The structure of effective practice and individual client sessions when using online counselling skills Online security procedures – encryption, third party access to messages Administration, management, and storage of client material Exercises and vignettes are included within this chapter, demonstrating the skills in practice and encouraging thought on the subject matter discussed.

This chapter discusses features essential to the initial planning and forming of an online practice. Whether practitioners are feeling confident that they are ready to establish an online practice or are still wrestling with the ethos and practicalities of including this as a feature of their work, there are important considerations and necessary practical skills which are required prior to forming supportive and meaningful online exchanges with clients. The evident client demands for extended ways of communicating with practitioners necessitates all who are comfortable with computer-mediated technology, as well as sceptics who dismiss its relevance within therapeutic and other areas of support and guidance practice, to reflect on the potential personal and professional rationale for denying its relevance to inclusion within current service delivery (Green and Oldham, 2006). There are particular challenges, specifically for (Green and Oldham, 2006). There are particular challenges, specifically for those who work with the young generation of clients and who have embedded computer-mediated technology as an intrinsic feature of their consciousness, to adapt their professional practice to meet the needs of their clients (Meyer, 2006).

There are elements which form an underpinning framework for establishing professional online practice. There may be some practitioners who are ‘chomping at the bit’ to get started in their engagement with online clients; I would encourage you to take time to stand back and deliberate upon points within this chapter and undertake a self-assessment prior to implementing service delivery. Such a process specifically relates to determining personal aptitude and the potential for possessing sufficient levels of computer literacy, in conjunction with the ability to organise, manage, and undertake the administration of a client system utilising appropriate online communication tools. The assessment of practitioner competency prior to establishing an online practice is central to the process of forming an ethical practice (Anthony and Jamieson, 2005).

The online practitioner will require a reasonable level of competence in being able to resolve difficulties with online technology and equipment in circumstances which either hold the potential to, or actually cause, a break in communication with clients. This is particularly pertinent where a practitioner is working from home, or within an organisation where IT support resources are limited, and constrained by how they are able to assist practitioners in maintaining the required level of service to clients. In all instances where a practitioner is not comfortable with CMC and technology, it is recommended that they do not proceed to become established in online practice (Kraus et al., 2004).

Supporting clients within an online environment requires a different approach to that which is adopted in a face-to-face context, with confidence in a variety of both synchronous and asynchronous mediums. The experiencing of the ‘other’ can be more apparent within synchronous interactions than those encountered in asynchronous exchanges (Suler, 2000). Such dynamics will influence a practitioner’s preference in the selected media for interacting with online clients.

The online practitioner will be structuring their practice to fit a framework which is consistent and user-friendly for clients, whilst also compliant with both professional and legal requirements. This chapter provides the opportunity to consider how such aspects can be adopted, developed, and applied to online practice and applicable to the practitioner’s area of work or specialism.

This first chapter also provides an opportunity for trainees and practitioners to explore practical aspects of moving their professional practice into this field of working, and assess their present working pattern against aspects which will be required if intending to adopt the use of online counselling skills with clients.

Establishing practitioner suitability for adopting the use of counselling skills in an online context

Diversity in the range of circumstances where practitioners will be electing to utilise online counselling skills within their professional practice will bring variations regarding the allocation of time spent in engaging with clients. Using online counselling skills may feature as a minor element of professional practice or the primary source of connecting with clients. This is an important consideration, as the process of moving professional practice into this field requires the practitioner to conduct their association with clients without actual physical contact and potentially to work in isolation when not based in an environment with other colleagues in the close vicinity. It is therefore important for the practitioner to be comfortable working alone in conjunction with additional variations which are a feature in this area of specialism.

The checklist provided in Exercise 1.1 can assist in formulating an initial decision on practitioner potential for the required flexibility and enthusiasm to work online with clients given variations to time spent interacting with clients and the distinctive features in this sphere of professional practice.

EXERCISE 1.1 DETERMINING SUITABILITY Use this checklist to help determine your suitability for adopting your counselling skills to an online setting. Would I relate well to lone working using a computer as the vehicle for interacting with clients? What proportion of my work would I be comfortable in transferring to an online setting? Do I currently enjoy and feel comfortable when interacting with others through an online medium? Am I content in working without the actual physical presence of clients? Could I manage the administration and practicalities of an online office with the associated responsibilities and appointment system requirements?

Having explored the questions within Exercise 1.1, this may prompt further thought by readers in forming a decision in both the positive and negative impacts upon their professional practice if proceeding into this area of work. Within the context of professional online practice, it is relevant to plan a schedule with regular breaks away from the computer in between client work, during the process of administration, and management tasks of online practice. Consistently working for excessive periods using a computer is not advantageous to the professional or the resulting client work.

Other practical considerations apply in a similar manner to those professionals who spend considerable time sitting during their working day:

• Working online requires adherence to the appropriate setting up of a work station which is conducive to health, posture, and so on.
• It is important to maintain a good level of social interaction with others if employed in online work for long periods of the day, due to the absence of physical contact with others when engaged in this sphere of professional practice.
• Regular breaks away from the computer, in conjunction with exercise, to compensate for the sedentary nature of being based at a computer work station, are also beneficial.

Confidence building when using counselling skills with computer-mediated technology

Confidence and competency when interacting using asynchronous and synchronous online communication

Confidence and competency in the sphere of using counselling skills in an online context is represented by a practitioner having acquired a familiarity with interacting using computer-mediated communication (CMC), in conjunction with a self-assurance in the ability to manage meaningful and coherent exchanges using the variations in both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools which are adopted within their practice. Due to diversity and individual circumstances within services intending to or who actually utilise online counselling skills, this influences the potential and practicalities of service delivery. Prior to introduction, both the organisation and the practitioner should consider what mediums will be most suited to their service, in conjunction with forming a decision on the confidence and skills level which the practitioner possesses to deliver the facility within the scope of an ethical and professional framework. The ultimate goal of effective service delivery will be based upon two elements:

• Practitioners must be sufficiently confident and competent with the selected interaction tools and be aware of potential areas where security issues could lead to breaches of confidentiality, whilst also being proficient to a level where they have the ability to focus all of their attention on clients. Where a practitioner experiences anxiety in using a selected medium, this will undoubtedly impact on the quality of the online exchanges.
• Selected computer-mediated applications and software must be compatible with the intended service delivery whilst also meeting identified security requirements. Speed and Ellis (2003) indicate that the majority of security...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• PART I PRACTICAL SKILLS
• PART II PROFESSIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Conclusion
• Index