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Online counseling, an intervention that has evolved alongside technological advancements and become integrated into individuals' lives, has gained even more popularity. At this point, it is essential to investigate the acceptance and usage of online counseling by mental health professionals. This research was conducted with 35 mental health professionals (psychologists and counsellors) who provide both online and face-to-face counseling. In the study, Q methodology was used to better understand the subjective thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs of participants to understand their behaviors regarding the acceptance and use of online counseling according to the UTAUT model. As a result of the research, it was found that factors related to the acceptance and usage of online counseling were grouped into two factors for mental health professionals. The research findings indicate that mental health professionals are grouped into two factors regarding factors related to the acceptance and utilization of online counseling. It has been observed that performance expectations and facilitating conditions influence the acceptance and utilization of online counseling for participants in Factor 1, while effort expectations and facilitating conditions influence the behavior of acceptance and utilization for participants in Factor 2. Additionally, it was found that mental health professionals in Factor 1 have a more positive attitude towards online counseling, whereas those in the second group prefer face-to-face counseling over online counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With its anonymity and accessibility, text-based online counseling has shown great potential in reaching people with mental health needs. One strategy adopted to meet the service gap is concurrent counseling, that is, each counselor attending to more than one client at a time. To date, there is no reported evidence supporting its rationality and effectiveness. This study investigated the potential opportunities, effectiveness, and caveats in concurrent service delivery and identified the optimal cutoff number of concurrent sessions while maintaining the quality of service at or above a set threshold. Method: We analyzed the transcript of 54,716 online counseling sessions from Open Up, a free, 24/7 text-based counseling service, to develop an attention score that measures the attention allocation of counselors and examined the impact of the counselor's attention allocation on client satisfaction and service outcomes. Results: On average, compared to nonconcurrent sessions, concurrent sessions were longer, more likely to end prematurely, and had lower client satisfaction. We also identified an optimal attention score of approximately 0.4 (out of 1.0, which denotes full attention), which translates to two to three concurrent sessions. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence for the feasibility of conducting multiple text-based sessions concurrently without compromising service quality and client experience. Our method of measuring the counselor attention allocation offers a way to systematically assess and evaluate concurrent sessions. What is the public health significance of this article?: The rapid increase in the availability of online counseling services continues to be outpaced by the growth in their demand. This study is the first to provide evidence for the possibility and effectiveness of concurrent counseling, that is, treating more than one client at a time. It highlights the feasibility of reaching more people with psychological distress without substantially sacrificing the service quality. The resulting attention score calculation is potentially relevant to a wide range of contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the ethical experience and confusion encountered by counselors during the process of online counseling. Methods: Eleven interviewees engaged in online counseling were recruited openly (including 2 pre-interviewees), and a semi-structured interview outline was developed based on the existing research literature related to the ethics of online counseling combined with the purpose of the study, and the primary data were analyzed and refined using the method of thematic analysis. Results: Three kinds of first order themes of ethical issues of online counseling (general ethical issues of online counseling, specific ethical issues of online counseling, and counselors' views on ethics of online counseling) were extracted, including 12 kinds of second order themes, namely counseling relationship, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, professional competence, handling of crisis situations, ethical issues related to online counseling platforms, technical failures, ethical issues of counselors using social media, the clients breaking out of settings, similarities and differences compared to ethics of face-to-face counseling, and evaluation and recommendations for domestic code of ethics for online counseling. Conclusion: In online counseling, the general ethical issues are more complex and varied, and the special ethical issues are prominent and need more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Care and attention to people's health is an objective of professionals in this area. Comprehensive strategies are being sought to reduce the alarming prevalence of obesity in populations around the world, coupled with the restructuring of the health system that came as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, different tools, such as online nutrition counseling, have been incorporated to embrace the needs and provide a service in favor of the population. Objective: To evaluate the effect of online nutrition counseling on anthropometric parameters of overweight and obese adults. Methodology: Thirty individuals were enrolled in an online nutritional intervention and followed a weight control diet for 8 weeks. Every 15 days, the participants received nutritional counseling through virtual platforms. Anthropometric parameters were evaluated at the beginning, middle and end of the intervention, the physical activity performed by the participants was calculated, and an emotional eating questionnaire was applied. Results: Significant changes were observed in baseline versus final anthropometric parameters. 30% of participants reported an increase in the physical activity performed, and 31% indicated improvements in the influence of emotions on their eating habits. Conclusion: Online nutrition counseling is a feasible and reliable strategy to provide and receive nutritional care remotely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer, as the most prevalent malignancy among women globally and in Iran, affects important aspects of the lives of the survivors of this condition, especially the quality of sexual life. Solution-focused brief therapy is one of the therapeutic counseling approaches used in various fields, including sexual function problems. In recent years, online and internet-mediated counseling methods have received more attention. Objective: This study investigated the effect of online counseling based on a solution-focused approach in improving the sexual quality of life (SQL) of women with breast cancer. Materials & methods: In this clinical trial, the research population consisted of women with a history of breast cancer with a recorded file in Shahid Ramazanzadeh Radiation Oncology Center in Yazd and at least 6 months had elapsed since the end of their treatment. After selecting 80 samples based on the random numbers table, they were assigned into two groups of 40, i.e., active control and intervention, using random allocation software. Participants in the intervention group were given online counseling through the Skyroom space with a solution-focused approach. Eight weekly sessions were held each lasting 60–90 min. The active control group received an educational file to improve the SQL. All participants in two groups completed the SQL questionnaire at the beginning of the study, at the end of the study, and 1 month after the study. Data were analyzed with SPSS18 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Finally, the data of 33 participants in the intervention group and 32 participants in the active control group were analyzed. The mean score of the SQL in the intervention group increased from 68.57 ± 18.63 before the intervention to 78.84 ± 12.7 immediately after the intervention (P = 0.015), and to 79.60 ± 19.88 1 month after the intervention (P = 0.012). The mean score of the SQL in the active control group increased from 64.45 ± 22.76 before the intervention to 67.20 ± 20.29 immediately after the intervention (P = 0.33), and to 68.70 ± 20.76 1 month after the intervention (P = 0.62). The difference in the mean score of the SQL before and after the intervention between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.007). Conclusion: It seems that the use of counseling with a solution-focused approach in women with a history of breast cancer improves the SQL. Thus, considering the effectiveness of this type of training, it is recommended that this method be used as a sexual health counseling method in medical centers. Trial registration: This clinical trial is registered in Iranian registry center of clinical trials (IRCT) by registration code of IRCT20201221049784N1 in 06/03/2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent and has devastating consequences for college students. Online counseling (OC) may be a way to decrease barriers to help. This study seeks to determine openness to OC compared to face-to-face counseling (F2F) by examining: (1) How openness to OC varies depending on college students' personal and IPV characteristics and (2) How these characteristics vary compared to college non-IPV survivors. Two linear regressions were conducted using a sample from a cross sectional survey. First with the entire sample of college students (N = 1,518) to examine characteristics of those more open to OC and second with only those that identified as experiencing IPV (n = 1,211). The results demonstrated that IPV survivors are less open to OC than to F2F counseling (b = -.23, p <.01). For the model with all college students, those who were significantly more open to OC were female (b = -.39, p <.001), identified as LGBT (b =.23, p <.05), or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) (b =.26, p <.05), and had a physical health issue (b = -.19, p <.05). For the model that only analyzed IPV survivors, the same characteristics were shown to be significantly related to openness to OC. More research is needed to explore why IPV survivors are less open to OC compared to F2F counseling. Exploring why characteristics of female, LGBT, and physical health issues lead to openness to OC could help understand what barriers need to be addressed for wider use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: [U25] Germany is a low-threshold, anonymous and free-of-charge online suicide prevention service for people up to 25 years of age. Its special feature is that counseling is provided by trained and continuously supervised voluntary peers. This study addresses the following research questions: (1) Which life adversities are reported by the clients of [U25]? (2) Are the life adversities intercorrelated? (3) According to patients, do life adversities change during the counseling process? (4) What are the associations between life adversities and outcome measures (e.g., reduction in suicidality or improvement in general situation)? Method: Data was collected through an online survey (n = 318). To measure psychological burden, the presence of 16 life adversities (e.g., problems in relationships) was assessed retrospectively. As the dependent variable, the change in suicidality was measured by means of three newly created items. In addition, a short form of the Bochum Change Questionnaire 2000 (BCQ 2000) was used to assess the patients’ subjectively perceived change due to counseling. Results: Regarding life adversities, the clients were heavily burdened. Throughout the course of counseling, many clients’ situations improved, at least concerning several adversities. Some life adversities significantly correlate with each other, but the correlation is mostly small to moderate. Suicidality is positively correlated with self-harming behaviors and loss of someone close to the advice seekers. Conclusions: Possible starting points for improving online counseling for suicidal adolescents and young adults are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accelerated need for effective and accessible therapy for children has become more evident in 2020 by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) pandemic. This global health crisis has exacerbated an existing mental health care crisis for children, particularly for those of color and low income who have a history of being disproportionately underserved. Teletherapy may address some of the barriers that prevent many children from receiving mental health services. Play-based strategies can be creatively integrated in teletherapy to maintain a relational, developmentally appropriate, and evidence-based approach to working with children in a virtual setting. In this article, creative ways to facilitate virtual play-based strategies are provided. Specific information about set-up, accessibility, selectability, scaffolding technology, developmental and cultural considerations, limit setting, and documentation for virtual sessions is discussed. Access to creative and theoretically informed teletherapy practices will strengthen the mental health response needed to reduce disparities in care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online markets for mental health care (OMMH) allow clients to connect remotely with counselors to receive psychological therapy. Rooted in signaling theory and in the specific context of an OMMH, we theorize relative credibility of signals as the boundary condition that determines whether the demonstration signal of responsiveness to client questions substitutes or complements the two description signals of professional qualifications and counseling style in predicting market demand for counselors from new clients in an OMMH. Based on a panel dataset of 823 observations from 309 counselors participating on YiXinLi, a leading OMMH in China, we tested our hypotheses using linguistic and sentiment analysis methods and zero-inflated negative binomial models. We found broad support for nine out of ten hypotheses. Findings are robust with respect to different measures of variables, potential endogeneity from the simultaneity of responsiveness and counselor demand, and potential selection bias from both observable and endogenous covariates. Our study extends the literature on signaling in online markets in the unique context of OMMH by showing that: (1) relative credibility of signals is the boundary condition that determines when a demonstration signal will complement and when it will substitute for a description signal, (2) previous clients’ feedback on counselors’ empathy and warmth was deemed not credible by new clients in the context of online counseling, and (3) responsiveness to client questions is the most influential predictor of market demand from new clients in an OMMH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the impact of fear of COVID-19 on attitudes and intentions towards online and face-to-face counseling. A total of 526 adults participated in this study. The path analysis results indicated that attitude towards online and face-to-face counseling differentially mediated the relationship between COVID-19 fear and both counseling intentions, even when controlling for other covariates. Specifically, fear of COVID-19 predicted positive attitudes towards online counseling (value of counseling), which in turn, predicted online counseling intention. On the other hand, COVID-19 fear affected negative attitudes towards face-to-face counseling (discomfort with counseling), resulting in a decrease in face-to-face counseling intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need for high-quality evidence to support the efficacy of online counseling and peer support via social networking sites (SNSs) as an intervention to reduce mental health symptoms in young people. This article presents Phase 2 of Kids Helpline (KHL) Circles, which used mixed methods to assess the acceptability, safety, user experience, and mental health benefits of a purpose-built, counselor-facilitated SNS. Young people aged 13–25 years (n = 552) were recruited to participate in one of six 8-week "Circles." Of those, 154 participants completed study surveys at three timepoints (baseline, midpoint, endpoint). Significant reductions in depression, anxiety, stress, and general distress symptoms were reported at the midpoint of the intervention, with further significant reductions in depression and stress symptoms by the endpoint. More than half said that their mental health improved as a direct result of KHL Circles, and most felt less mental health stigma and would be more willing to seek help for mental health issues in the future. These results contribute to increasing the evidence base for SNS interventions to reduce mental health symptoms. Adjustments are necessary for the ongoing evolution of this service to ensure it is user-centered and scientifically rigorous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the popularity of Videoconferencing Psychotherapy (VCP) is rapidly growing as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, research findings on the actual status of VCP use in Japan and on the factors predicting dropout from VCP are insufficient. Specifically, no research has been conducted on the early stages of VCP. In this study, we used VCP data (4,921 to 3,470 participants) from a private company to assess the actual status of VCP use. We then conducted a hierarchical logistic regression analysis to explore explanatory variables that predict dropout and continuation between the first and second sessions. The results indicated that therapists with longer clinical experience were more likely to continue the counseling sessions and clients were less likely to continue when they felt the effects of psychotherapy in the first evaluation session, and more likely to continue when they had expectations of psychotherapy being effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group counseling is one intervention that seems to be perceived as less valuable than individual ones in helping professions. In countries where counseling is still in an emerging stage, there is sometimes little to no specific training in group skills for future counselors. This paper addresses the history of group work in helping professions, the types of groups in career settings, the benefits and limitations of group interventions, and the opportunity offered by increasing interest and access to online interventions. The study covers the implications of the social and psychological outcomes of the COVID-pandemic on school and career counseling interventions. Challenges for practitioners and educators in countries where counseling is not a recognized profession are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to develop a reliable tool for the abstraction of data from crisis chat transcripts; to describe chatters' suicide risk status and selected counselor behaviors; and to examine the relationship of chatters' self‐reported pre‐chat suicidal thoughts to counselor behaviors and to chatters' disclosures of suicide risk during the chat conversation. Methods: Coders used an instrument developed for this study to abstract data from 1034 crisis chats handled by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Chat network in 2015. The relationship of transcript coding data to data from an automated pre‐chat survey (PCS) was examined. Results: Lifeline Crisis Chat serves a young (median age = 21), high‐risk population: 84.0% of chats (869/1034) came from chatters endorsing current or recent suicidal thoughts on the PCS. Counselors engaged in rapport‐building on 93.3%, problem‐solving on 70.1%, and suicide risk assessment on 67.7% of these 869 chats. Counselor risk assessment behavior, and the availability of information on suicide risk in the chat transcript, varied significantly by the chatter's PCS response. Conclusion: Crisis counselors are able to implement keystones of Lifeline's crisis intervention model over the medium of online chat. Additional efforts are needed to ensure that suicide risk is assessed on every chat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study compared online, synchronous video counseling to in-person counseling using solution-focused brief therapy for college students with mild to moderate anxiety. Participants: Participants were 49 undergraduate students who were seeking counseling for mild to moderate anxiety. The study was conducted from November, 2017 to December 2018. Methods: In a randomized, non-inferiority design, undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to online, synchronous video counseling or in-person treatment for anxiety using solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). Participants completed the Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and College Counseling Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) to assess outcomes. Results: The results showed significant changes in scores on the BAI and the CCAPS Generalized Anxiety and Social Anxiety subscales for participants in both study conditions, and no significant differences in effectiveness of the two delivery methods. Conclusions: The findings provide support for the treatment of college students with anxiety with SFBT through online, synchronous video counseling. Limitations related to sample size and diversity are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

With the arrival of COVID in Australia and the necessary social distancing measures put in place by the Federal and State Governments many social work services had to move to delivering services to an online platform. This happened relatively quickly and with little or no training for practitioners. This paper presents the findings of a literature review on the use of technology-assisted therapeutic group work intervention with children and young people who experienced maltreatment. The review found a variety of technological platforms of varying effectiveness to engage children and young people therapeutically. However, there was a gap in the scholarship in relation to online group work with children and young people and children and young people who experienced maltreatment. The conclusion to this paper is a therapeutic positioning for more research into technology-assisted therapeutic group work and a call for the epistemic privileging of young people and children and young people in service design and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the COVID 19-induced psychological problems and help seeking demands in Turkey in the first months of pandemic. In addition, it was intended to determine the knowledge, attitude and skills of mental health professionals in dealing with those problems in the first months of COVID-19 pandemic. Research group consisted of 168 mental health professionals working in different regions of Turkey. Results revealed that 57.1% of the professionals were consulted for help due to mental health problems during the pandemic, and this demand came mostly from females and adults. Help-seeking demands were primarily about excessive anxiety, stress caused by educational and professional problems, repetitive ideas of getting virus, loss of pleasure and interest, insomnia and excessive cleaning complaints. Findings suggested that most mental health professionals participating in the study had positive attitudes towards online counseling and found these practices effective. In addition, 30.4% of the participants found themselves insufficient for online psychological help, while only 27.4% stated that they provided online psychological help in this process. The results demonstrated that mental health professionals were asked for help about on complaints of different types and levels during the pandemic. It was observed that the attitudes of the professionals about online counseling mental help were generally positive and their self-perceptions of knowledge and skill levels were rather low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have demonstrated the importance of online activities to wellbeing, especially in later life. The present study seeks to determine whether and how online religious counseling can improve the wellbeing of older believers. A six-month qualitative study was conducted with a group of Orthodox Jewish older adults (N = 26, aged 70-96) who manifest various types of age-related distress. The participants were home trained to use a dedicated, accessible online platform featuring religious questions and answers (Q&A). Data were collected through netnographic observation, monthly online inquiry and in-depth interviews with counselees and counselors alike. Analysis indicated that online spiritual Q&A for the elders are characterized by unique content, types and styles of discourse. Their variety reflects the heterogeneity of needs, areas of interest and worldviews among older religious adults. Participation in online religious counseling provided them with numerous religious, intellectual and social rewards. At the same time, their counselors--six rabbis that volunteered in this project--gained religious, communal, professional and psychological benefits from the opportunity to share their knowledge and advice. Anonymity, asynchronicity, digital literacy and types of questions were identified as issues that may have opposite effects on the experiences of participants and counselors, respectively. Although some factors may delay and/or diminish positive contributions, involvement in online religious counseling appears to promote wellbeing in later life. This service is particularly beneficial to Orthodox older adults with detrimental health conditions whose use of online religious Q&A helps them cope with the difficulties they face and maintain their enjoyment of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advancements in technology, proliferation of online counseling services has recently become observable. The purpose of the current study was to reveal what people know about face-to-face and online counseling and to determine the direction of their preferences for both. The participants of the current study, which is of a qualitative case study, were 25 people, ranging in age from 17 to 49, of different professions (soldiers, security officers, secretaries, drivers, officers, housekeepers, housewives, high school-university students and academicians). While 4 of the participants reported experiencing face-to-face counseling services, 21 participants did not report receiving one. Besides, none of the participants reported receiving online counseling services. The time that the participants want to allocate for online counseling services was found to be more than the time that they want to allocate for face-to-face counseling. The top two methods that 17 participants preferred, being of the opinion that they would have a warm ambiance while receiving counseling, were video conference (7), and chatting (5). Finally, it was also observed that most of the participants (20) preferred face-to-face counseling services due to the existence of active participation and non-verbal reactions such as gestures and facial expressions, and very few of them (5) preferred online counseling services because of anonymity and availability. Results in general showed that individuals were eager to receive online counseling and find it more useful in terms of finance and availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence and severity of mental health issues among students have been increasingly talked about on campuses in recent years. The Internet has rapidly developed to deliver information and facilitate online communication, which creates online counseling to meet the mental health needs of college students. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study examines college students' intentions to seek both face-to-face and online counseling. An online survey was conducted with 440 college students. Results suggest that subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control predicted participants' intentions to seek counseling. Although face-to-face counseling was generally seen as most appealing, this effect was moderated by different levels of self-stigma, stigma by close others, and communication competence, such that higher self-stigma, stigma by close others, and lower communication competence made face-to-face counseling less attractive compared to online counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): To investigate differences in public stigma, self‐stigma, attitudes (value and discomfort), and intentions to seek help between online and face‐to‐face counseling. To identify a difference in the relationship between these variables and both counseling modalities. Method: An online survey completed by 538 college students from one university in the Southeastern United States. The sample included 412 females and 126 males with a mean age of 20.21 years (standard deviation [SD] = 1.26). Results: Significantly higher levels of self‐stigma and discomfort toward online counseling were reported. Significantly higher value and intentions were reported toward face‐to‐face counseling. Self‐stigma was positively related to public stigma, value was negatively related to self‐stigma, and intentions toward seeking help was positively related to value. Conclusions: Results suggest face‐to‐face counseling is seen as a more favorable method of service delivery compared to online counseling. Value toward online counseling is an important predictor for seeking this type of help. [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]

Personal therapy for therapists is described as a means for advancing personal and professional growth. Therapist problems contribute to boundary disturbance, ethical violation, and incompetence. Benefits of therapy include enhanced counselor reflection and therapeutic alliance. Telehealth therapy overcomes barriers and represents an innovation in self-care and career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion and spirituality are the means to know God and to love Him through practices. Because of lack of training of religious and spiritual counsellor, they do not know how to realize the presence and power of God in healing the illness. People are simply satisfied going to Temple/Mosque/Gurudwara/ Church and involve there in prayer and alms. Religious/spiritual counselors' focus should be to suggest counselee how to serve and love God. We have various questions regarding the present and future, work, relationships and health-related problems linked with Covid. Our mind is always busy chattering and trying to cope with it. It is essential to seek online counselling to give answer of those questions which are being unanswered by the self. The advantages and disadvantages associated with online counselling are discussed in this article. Moreover, cure for psycho-spiritual illnesses linked with Covid pandemic are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet counseling can be a valuable resource for people who cannot seek mental health care due to various reasons. The aim of this study was to analyze the time patterns of first-time contacts made by clients to online counseling services. Data from two online counseling service providers, encompassing 3,291 people, were analyzed. The results showed that people tended to contact online counselors during the seasons with less sunlight (winter and autumn), and during evening and afternoon. There were no pronounced day-of-week effects. These results support, to some extent, the seasonality and time-of-day patterns related to mental disorders and help-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case study, we investigated the efficacy of mirror therapy and online counseling in the management of phantom limb pain. The patient was a 28-year-old woman who experienced phantom limb pain after a traumatic transhumeral amputation three and a half months before initiating therapy. After a 40-minute educational session with a nurse researcher experienced in pain management and surgical nursing, the patient practiced mirror therapy at home for four weeks and kept in contact with the nurse using a mobile chat application. The patient scored the intensity of her pain before and after each practice session on a 0-to-10 numeric pain scale. The first week was difficult for her because of tiredness and the pain. In the second week she experienced less pain during the day than at night but claimed to feel much better than before. In the fourth week, she reported having difficulty sleeping, but she stated that her pain had decreased. The intensity of the pain didn't change following mirror therapy in the first week; however, her average pain score was 1.15 points lower after mirror therapy in the second week (from 4.57 to 3.42), and 1.57 points lower in the third and fourth weeks (from 5.42 to 3.85 and 4.85 to 3.28). Online counseling for mirror therapy is easy, economical, and time-saving for patient and nurse alike. However, physical and physiological problems experienced during this process may reduce the effectiveness of the therapy, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to phantom limb pain management, which may include care from a psychologist, massage therapist, physiotherapist, and specialist in alternative therapies for relaxation, in addition to the surgeon and the nurse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online counseling can overcome barriers families face when accessing support services for issues such as a relative's alcohol or other drug use. However, little research has explored how online counseling platforms assist family members to improve their well-being and support their relative. We thematically analyzed 90 transcripts of online counseling sessions with family and friends of people who use alcohol, opioids, and amphetamines in Australia between 2015 and 2016. In our analysis, we drew on the concept of affordances to articulate how online platforms afford or constrain potentially therapeutic encounters with families. We found online counseling enabled families to make first contact, relieve distress, plan appropriate action, improve communication, regain direction, and connect with local services. Sessions were constrained by Internet access, web-chat communication, counselors' focus on referral, and limitations in addressing the wider concerns of families. The findings present opportunities for improving online services for families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test anxiety is a widespread challenge among university students. Online treatment facilitates a wider distribution and easier access to treatment. In a naturalistic study, a guided internet-delivered counseling program for test anxiety in university students was created and reviewed. Students suffering from self-reported test anxiety were recruited at a university counseling center (n = 40). Test anxiety and psychological distress were measured pre and post treatment. The test anxiety online treatment was administered in six modules over a period of 6 weeks. Therapist contact via written message in the online platform was included once a week. There were two personal contacts before and after treatment. A paired t-test showed a significant reduction of test anxiety (n = 32, p < .01). There was as well a significant reduction of general psychological distress and general anxiety (n = 31, p < .05). Participants were largely satisfied with the helpfulness and composition of the program. Thus, a guided internet-delivered treatment program is an effective treatment for reducing test anxiety in university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Online counseling may be defined as an interaction between users and mental health professionals that takes place through computer mediated communication technology. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of Italian psychologists towards different aspects of online counseling provided via email, chat, forums, and videoconference. Method: An online questionnaire was administered to a sample of 289 licensed psychologists in the Veneto Region (Italy) in order to collect opinions, preferences, and intentions to use online modalities, along with prior knowledge and practice experiences. Results: Only 18.3% of the respondents had previous experience with online counseling. Overall, the majority of psychologists (62.6%) were favorable towards online counseling, but they also had several reservations about the provision of online diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. Results showed a consistent lack of clarity regarding ethical and penal issues concerning online modalities. Conclusions: More efforts must be directed to deepening the application of new technologies in the field of psychology in order to enable an ethical and professional practice of online counseling in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logo counseling is a counseling model specifically to treat low spiritual self-esteem problem affecting the life and attitudes of college students. Nevertheless, the problem relies on distance, time, and psychological burdens which preventing face-to-face logo counseling. By reviewing past research regarding online counseling practices, the innovative model for online logo counseling was designed and then demonstrated via logo counseling website. There are four objectives and thirty-five specifications defined in the model. The result showed that logo counseling website is helpful and easy to understand. Further research needed to address the issue of security and confidentiality, furthermore future research needed to examine the integration of text-mining and multimedia analysis techniques to better helping counselors in online counseling intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability and accessibility of the Internet have changed the way people run their lives. Communication through social networking has brought to life the power of groups and introduced new opportunities for the facilitation of online group counseling. Women in the postpartum period are vulnerable to stress, and yet, although online group counseling has been proven to improve their overall well-being, they tend to avoid reaching out for help. This review aims to shed light on the issue and calls for further research on the new therapeutic discipline created under the radar and its alteration into an on-hand valid tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of chat-based individual online counseling on wellness of undergraduates. The quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest control group design was employed. Participants were 30 undergraduates (3 males and 27 females). They were randomly assigned to experimental group and control group (n = 15 per group). Those in experimental group participated in the chat-based individual online counseling sessions (60-90 minutes for one session per week) for 4 weeks while participants in control group lived their life normally. Instruments were Thai version of 5-Factor Wellness Inventory and the individual ExistentialHumanistic online counseling protocol. Independent and Dependent sample ttest were used for data analysis. Findings revealed the posttest scores on wellness of the online counseling group were significantly higher than its pretest scores (p < .01) and significantly higher than the posttest scores of the control group (p < .01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediated counseling services are becoming more and more common, thanks to the advance and availability of ICTs. The research on motivations for choosing such a service over a face-to-face one is a relatively new field of research and previous studies identified the most common motivations as narrated by clients in ex-post interviews. The present study aims to contribute to this field of research by identifying and describing how these motivations are directly enacted within the conversations between the counseling professional and the client. Twentyone WhatsApp conversations were analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis. Results show that motivations expressed ex-post by young people found in previous research (e.g. privacy and autonomy, control over the counseling process, anonymity, accessibility of text counseling) are present in the conversations, but are more complex and nuanced in natural discursive productions. The article also presents the pragmatic implications of these occurrences in the practice of mediated counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of counseling sessions, counselors use summaries/restatements (also called formulations) of clients’ words. Online counseling literature advises counselors to use formulations more frequently than in spoken counseling. This article is based on a comparative research project on Dutch telephone and chat counseling. It appeared that the counselors used formulations in the early phase of the chat sessions, while they rarely did on the telephone. This article focuses on the formulations used in the initial phase of chat sessions to explore how they are embedded in the interaction and what they achieve. The data consist of 49 web-based chat sessions about alcohol and/or drugs; in 14 sessions the counselors used a formulation in the initial phase of the session. Two types of formulations were found, proposing two alternative activities as the current focus of the interaction: requesting and giving information (7 out of 14) or problem discussion (7 out of 14). While the first type solves equivocal help questions, the second explores if the client would like to disclose more about the problem implied in the question. The findings may be used to reflect on, and scrutinize the general recommendation to use formulations in online counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online counseling service delivery is increasing in frequency and one such modality is online group work. As such, research needs to thoroughly investigate the utility of online groups, including leadership training, skills, and experiences within online groups. This pilot study investigated the perceptions of applied group counseling skills among nine master's-level counseling students as they led online groups for at-risk virtual high school students. The findings indicated different types of skills were considered easy, difficult, or not used by a majority of participants, highlighting the disconnection between face-to-face and online group leadership skill development and understanding. Implications for counselor education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telemental health--also known as online counseling or online therapy--has become a solution for increasing the public's access to mental health care. Mental health state licensure boards have lacked consistency in the adaptation of laws and the use of language within these laws. Policies are examined from the mental health state licensure boards in all 50 U.S. states for counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and social workers. The determination of whether a policy existed was made. If so, the terminology was compared across professions. Results indicated that fewer than half of mental health licensure boards included telemental health-related terminology in their policies, indicating the absence of telemental health policies. Future research, implications for counselors and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a conversation analysis of openings sequences of online text-based chat counseling. Particular about this chat counseling is that the clients made available their help question through pre-screening. The data consisted of 40 chat sessions with pre-screening and 34 sessions without pre-screening from the Dutch alcohol and drugs chat service. In the chat sessions with pre-screening, the participants displayed accountability with regard to the norms relevant to pre-given information, which took up space and time and frequently involved interactional misalignment. In chat sessions without pre-screening of the question, the openings followed a more fluent interactional course. We discuss how affordances of digital communication media may work as constraints when the participants orient to interactional norms known from other, offline environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between 3 aspects of alienation: powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social estrangement, and attitudes toward face-to-face and online counseling among college students. Participants included 180 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university. Correlations indicated a significant relationship between discomfort with face-to-face counseling and powerlessness (r = .20, p = .008) and meaninglessness (r = .22, p = .003). There were no significant relationships between attitudes toward online counseling and any aspect of alienation. Significant gender differences in value toward face-to-face counseling were found. Higher education should examine the use of online counseling among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Since October 2017 till 2019 the project of Psychosocial Care for internally displaced persons and the war affected population in Ukraine has been in place (short name "Let's talk"). In 2020 this project continuing for counselling pandemic affected persons. Objectives: The counsellors are professional psychologists who were trained within the scope of the project. Sessions may be held in Russian or Ukrainian, according to the user's choice. Methods: Analysis of protocols of online counseling sessions and supervisions. Results: The key and most frequent issues mentioned by the clients are loneliness, the loss of the sense of life, fear, uncertainty, anxiety, difficulties in family relations, in particular, with children, job insecurity, addictions, psychosomatic disorders and so others. They are closely related to the situation in the country (military operation, the division into "We" and "Other", the risk of provocations, the cases of treason and personal revenge, threats to the family members of the military). The above issue is in potential clients' inadequately high suspicion level (in some cases on the border of paranoid fantasies), which is manifested in the fear of the possible infringement of confidentiality, over-listening, surveillance, recording of talks etc. Conclusions: The online counseling is the way to provide professional, accessible, free for the users and fully anonymous psychosocial care. Most frequent issues mentioned by the IDPs and the war affected population peoples has been indicated. When presenting the project service, the focus is always made on the high level of data protection and strict confidentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As in many areas of life, the covid-19 epidemic has had a great impact on psychological counselor training. Although studies and practices on online counseling are increasing every day in the world, there has not been a psychological counseling method preferred by experts in Turkey, which comes from community culture and, where physical contact is important, until the pandemic. Objectives: The examination of the opinions of the students studying in the last year of the psychological counseling and guidance undergraduate program during the pandemic regarding online counseling, where they perform their first psychological counseling experience. Methods: The study was conducted with 10 counseling students, 9 women and 1 Man. The age range of the students is 22-24 and the average age is 20.6. The students' opinions are taken with openended questions such as "Can you share your views on online counseling before online counseling?" The reflection letter that the students responded to was subjected to content analysis. Results: The findings of the study show that there are four themes: Emotions before the counseling process, Thoughts before the counseling process, Therapeutic relationship, Online counseling in professional life. For example; in online counseling, negative emotions such as anxiety, excitement, fear, anxiety, stress, anxiety, as well as feeling comfortable and safe are among the positive feelings they experience in their therapeutic relationships. Conclusions: As a result, although students have a positive view of online counseling, they mainly prefer to do it face-to-face. The findings were discussed taking into account Turkish culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For hidden youth, online counseling achieves better outcomes than the offline one. • For hidden youth, integrated counseling achieves the best service outcomes. • Online counseling and offline counseling have unique, complementary advantages. The emergence of the Internet has given rise to the continuous development of online counseling since the 1970s. Despite the increasing popularity of online counseling in the globe currently, whether the advantages of online counseling surpasses that of offline counseling is still in controversy. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to compare between online, offline, and integrated counseling (i.e., the combined use of online and offline counseling) in therapeutic outcomes, so as to shed light on the significance of largely developing online counseling in youth contexts in Hong Kong. Targeting 502 hidden youth in Hong Kong who were aged 12–24 as participants, this study adopted a mixed method in doing the comparative analysis of service outcomes in terms of quality of life and sense of well-being. Quantitative results showed that integrated counseling was perceived as achieving the best outcomes among all the three forms of counseling, while online counseling was better than offline counseling. Explained by qualitative analyses, online and offline counseling had their unique advantages which were complementary to each other: While online counseling dealt with individual, psychological issues more effectively, offline counseling helped provide more substantial support in terms of real-time company and tangible resources. The implication is that online counseling has a potential value to be extensively developed in Hong Kong, either as an alternative to offline counseling or being integrated with offline counseling to maximize the service outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]