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Online counseling is gradually finding its way into therapy in universities in Ghana. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 accompanied by uncertainties and the fears of physical contact signaled a consideration of complete acceptability of online counseling, in addition to face-to-face counseling. Nonetheless, the level of counselors, counselor educators and counselor trainees' knowledge, attitude, and usage of online counseling in Ghanaian universities is unclear. Thus, this study used an explanatory sequential mixed-method design to assess the perception of sampled respondents' and participants' viewpoints on online counseling available at a public university. Amid findings that counselors, counselor educators and counselor trainees have little awareness of online counseling and share a generally negative attitude towards it, the study concluded that online counseling is a highly unexplored option available on the university campus. Suggestions for augmented online counseling opportunities to assist students to resolve their difficulties on the university campus were also made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating how counselors perceive technology as a tool for delivering counseling services is crucial to understand the usage and challenges that may have implications for training programs, policymaking, and allocation of resources. With the COVID-19 crisis and accompanying shelter-in-place and self-distancing guidelines, telemental health, including distance counseling, has become a satisfactory primary delivery system and is now expected to be part of routine counseling care. The present pre-COVID-19 study explored practicing counselors' perceptions of distance counseling regarding advantages and challenges. While noting benefits, results indicate continuing barriers to widespread telemental health use encompassing licensure, training, safety, privacy, evaluation, and regulatory policies. Also, attention is needed for therapeutic relationships and culturally alert digital interventions. In addition, counselors can take advantage of rapidly changing technologies to provide numerous innovative counseling services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]