ERIC Number: EJ1267071
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0306-9885
EISSN: N/A
The Experiences of Person-Centred Counsellors Working with Suicidal Clients Online through the Medium of Text
Harrison, Liz; Wright, Jeannie
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, v48 n4 p576-591 2020
In this study, we attempt to provide an understanding of the experiences of four UK-based person-centred counsellors working with suicidal clients online using text-based therapies and the impact of their clients' suicidal ideation upon their "way of being". The counsellors were selected purposively; each was working as a person-centred counsellor online, was encountering suicidal ideation in their clients, and was a member of a professional organisation. A narrative approach was taken, using unstructured interviews and a stanza format of representation. We found that participants had developed a way of being online that may be distinct from their in-person practice. Challenges included being more directive, lacking physical presence, lacking confidence in assessing risk and questions about empathic understanding. Working online with risk raises specific challenges for person-centred practitioners in line with what is indicated in the little relevant research currently already available.
Descriptors: Suicide, Counselors, Psychological Patterns, Telecommunications, Counselor Client Relationship, Barriers, Counseling Techniques, Risk, Intervention, Computer Mediated Communication, Females, Electronic Mail, Empathy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A