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Article Excerpt
In this qualitative study, the authors outline the experiences of 5 research participants who engaged in online chat-based counseling sessions. Participants discussed their experiences related to technological barriers, connecting with their counselor, interacting without visual or verbal feedback, receiving counseling in a personal space, and the flow and pace of the online sessions. The authors provide recommendations for the implementation of online counseling, including discussion of the limitations and benefits of this type of therapeutic conversation.
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When clients do not perceive core therapeutic conditions to be present, counselors can become ineffective in facilitating growth and change (Hill & Nakayama, 2000; Sexton & Whiston, 1991). With the advent of online counseling services as a creative and innovative therapeutic medium, counselors are now considering how therapeutic conditions can be fostered in an online environment (Evans & Hawkins, 2002; Rochland, Zach, & Speyer, 2004). Given the increasing availability of the Internet as a counseling resource, numerous counselors have engaged in the delivery of both synchronous and asynchronous online interventions (Heinlen, Reynolds-Welfel, Richmond, & Rak, 2003; Maheu & Gordon, 2000; Sampson, Kolodinsky, & Greeno, 1997). In this article, we explore the experiences of research participants who engaged in chat-based synchronous online counseling. This analogue study supplements the modest but growing literature base (Mann-Layne & Hosenhil, 2005) related to online counseling by illustrating the perceptions of individuals who personally experienced an online therapeutic relationship.
The Internet as a Clinical Medium
A growing body of literature has begun to explore the Internet as an environment for addressing a variety of clinical issues and research suggests that meaningful working alliances can be established online (Cook & Doyle, 2002; Leibert, Archer, Munson, & York, 2006). Leibert et al. found that clients rated online counseling favorably, but satisfaction scores were lower than estimates for clients attending face-to-face sessions. These authors found that missing nonverbal communication was attenuated by the anonymity afforded by online communications, and suggested future research focus on therapeutic alliance variables with heterogeneous populations.
The Internet is purportedly evolving into an accessible, convenient vehicle for addressing body issues and somatic concerns (Tate, Wing, & Winett, 2001), creating a safe therapeutic space for women struggling with eating disorders (Zabinski, Celio, Wilfley, & Taylor, 2003; Zabinski et al., 2001), attenuating the severity and frequency of chronic headaches (Strom, Pettersson, & Andersson, 2000), and providing relief for persons suffering from insomnia (Strom, Pettersson, & Andersson, 2004). These results may be due, in part, to the therapeutic aspects of writing about emotions. An established body of research suggests that writing during times of physical and social distress provides clients with a vital avenue for emotional healing (Penn, 2001; Soper & Von Bergen, 2001). Accordingly, research has established a quantitative link between written expression of emotions and increased physical health (Campbell & Pennebaker, 2003; Penn, 2001; Pennebaker, 1997). Given that online counseling is an interactive form of therapeutic writing, interventions delivered in this environment may combine the power of the written word with therapeutic conversations.
In summary, some studies indicate that Internet counseling, especially when combined with cognitive behavioral approaches can be used with a variety of clinical presentations (Christensen, Griffiths, & Jorm, 2004; Kenardy, McCafferty, & Rosa, 2003; Lange, Van De Ven & Schrieken, 2003; Rassau & Arco, 2003; Richards, Klein, & Carlbring, 2003). In this study, we build upon the work of several articles (Cook & Doyle, 2002; Leibert et al., 2006) related to client's perspectives of online counseling. A review of the literature found that many studies (Cook & Doyle, 2002; Kenardy et al., 2003; Leibert et al.) utilized post hoc methods of interviewing participants and collecting data. This study contributes to the literature by exploring and documenting the process of analogue online counseling as participants experienced this phenomenon. This way of collecting data allowed the researchers and participants opportunities to process, understand, and document reactions to online counseling in an in-depth manner as they naturally emerged (Berrios & Luca, 2006).
METHOD
Beginning counselor education students served as clients, while counseling interns enrolled in an advanced counseling internship course served as counselors in this study. The central research question (Creswell, 1998; 2002) posed to participants was "What is the experience of receiving online counseling, from a client's perspective?" Because we investigated the perspectives of various individuals about a common experience, descriptive phenomenology framed and guided the research inquiry (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Moustakas, 1994). The research task was to transform the participants' narratives into themes that illustrated the essence of their experiences (Moustakas). Finally, we followed the guidelines for preparing counseling-related manuscripts as outlined by Choudhuri, Glauser and Peregoy (2004). Choudhuri et al. suggested that qualitative manuscripts provide succinct descriptions of (a) background theory and research, (b) data collection methods, (c) research setting, (d) data coding procedures, and (e) how the data inform the interpretations and conclusions of the study.
Participants and Setting
Seven counselor education graduate students (Table 1) enrolled in an introduction to counseling class at a large southwestern university participated. These individuals volunteered to receive supportive online counseling for optional course credit, and we recruited them for the study after they attended a 15-minute presentation on the project. Interested students signed an Institutional Review Board approved informed consent form for research...
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