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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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

While online counseling is increasingly utilized, little is known about what counseling work takes place in the online environment. The aim of this study was to quantify online counseling activity by determining counselors’ adherence to the widely used model in which they had been trained. Transcripts (n=85) of online counseling with adolescents were evaluated, using a standardized and psychometrically sound instrument. We found that, while counseling in 53% of transcripts progressed through each of the key stages of counseling, the focus of most sessions was information gathering; and goal exploration and action planning were typically superficial and often absent. Possible reasons for low counseling depth are discussed and recommendations made for the further development of online counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet counseling is an area of rapid expansion in the field of applied psychology. Internet counseling or psychotherapy involves a variety of activities such as psychoeducation, individual therapy, and automated self-help interventions delivered via the Internet. Although other professional societies such as the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, and the National Board of Certified Counselors have tackled the issues of Internet counseling ethics head on, the American Psychological Association has been conspicuously absent from this debate. Yet online therapy clinics are operating, and intervention efficacy is being studied. This discussion provides an overview of online counseling modalities, details the ethical concerns associated with each, and offers suggestions for the ethical practice of online counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listservs are often used by professional psychologists to share resources and references, seek consultation or support, find referrals, discuss important issues, keep informed about upcoming events, and access other useful information. Topics of discussion include clients, students, research, insurance companies, and even other professionals. Listservs can help keep otherwise isolated professional psychologists connected with the psychological community. Listservs make such discussions and information more accessible to psychologists who are geographically isolated or cannot easily attend meetings and other events because of other demands on their time. There are risks involved in listserv use, however. Nothing shared over the Internet is ever completely secure. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Listservs potentially distribute messages about clients and other topics far more widely than a single e-mail communication does, thereby multiplying the risks involved. In this article, the author explains how listservs work, addresses the potential ethical problems connected with their use, and suggests some more secure methods for sensitive professional Internet exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online support groups are widely used for numerous types of distress areas, but relatively little has been empirically examined to date in regard to their effectiveness in providing emotional relief to participants as claimed. The current study aimed at testing a possible moderator affecting participants' emotional relief when using an online support group: the degree of active involvement. This subject was explored by investigating the number of main and response messages that 20 randomly selected participants posted, as well as the number of replies they received, over the course of three months of participation in an open, online support group intended for suicidal and severely distressed adolescents. Level of distress was measured by a thematic analysis of main messages posted by the participants that was conducted by three pre-trained, expert judges. Results revealed that although the level of participants' distress did not change over time, on the average, it was significantly correlated with activity level: the higher the number of posts and replies, the lower the level of distress in following months. Implications of these findings for the application and facilitation of online support groups are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online counseling is the latest entry in a class of indirect therapy methods that extends back to Freud's work with "Little Hans." This article recounts the history of indirect counseling in general and online counseling in particular explores the effectiveness of online counseling as a mode of therapy, deal's with ethical issues, and examines the feasibility of online counseling as a business. The article concludes that online counseling is an effective and ethical form of counseling that can, with effort and care, become a feasible business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]