ERIC Number: EJ734445
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0306-9885
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Online Counselling: A Descriptive Analysis of Therapy Services on the Internet
Chester, Andrea; Glass, Carolyn A.
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, v34 n2 p145-160 May 2006
This study investigated the emerging practice of online counselling. Although the traditional practice of counselling involves face-to-face interaction between counsellor and client, a growing number of practitioners are providing counselling or therapy services via the Internet. In the present study, a total of 67 online counsellors completed a questionnaire exploring the backgrounds, services, fees, and communication technologies of practitioners offering online counselling to the public. Results suggest that online counselling is conducted by relatively experienced, primarily Western-based practitioners and is characterised by the use of email. Online clients are mainly female and receive relatively short-term interventions. Although the field appears to be evolving as its popularity increases, some ethical concerns raised by early research remain inadequately addressed.
Descriptors: Therapy, Counseling, Counselor Client Relationship, Questionnaires, Electronic Mail, Internet, Mental Health, Standards, Psychological Studies, Counselor Characteristics, Web Sites, Gender Issues
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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
Author Affiliations: N/A