Cyber Counseling

266 CounselorEducation&SupervisionJune2007Volume46

2007bytheAmericanCounselingAssociation.Allrightsreserved.

Considerations and Strategies for Teaching Online Counseling Skills: Establishing Relationships in CyberspaceHeather Trepal, Shane Haberstroh, Thelma Duffey, & Marcheta Evans

As technology advances and the use of online counseling becomesmoreroutine,attentionmustbepaidtoinstructionregardingonlinecounselingskills.Theauthorspresentconsiderationsforteachingbasiconlinecounselingskillstomasters-levelcounselingstudents.Recom-mendationsaremadeforhelpingstudentstoestablishandmaintaintherapeutic relationships online. Suggestions specific to counselorpreparationandfutureresearchareprovided.

Computer technology and the Internet have been advancing at astaggeringpaceintheUnitedStates(U.S.DepartmentofCommerce[USDOC],2004).Nationalpopulationsurveysestimatethatmorethan60%ofU.S.householdsusetheInternetforinformation,entertain-ment,andcommunication (USDOC,2002,2004).Recognizing thepowerofthisforumforcommunication,counselorshavebeguntousetheInternetasaresourcetoprovideonlinecounselingservices(Evans&Hawkins, 2002;Heinlen,Reynolds-Welfel, Richmond,&Rak, 2003; Rochlen, Zack, & Speyer, 2004). Furthermore, onlinecounselingisemergingasadistinctformofpractice,asevidencedbythedevelopmentofethicalguidelinesbytheAmericanCounsel-ing Association (ACA; 2005) and the National Board for CertifiedCounselors(NBCC;1998).It isimportanttonotethattheCenterforCredentialing andEducation, thenewest credentialing armoftheNBCC,hasestablishedaDistancedCredentialedCounselorcer-tification (Center forCredentialingEducation [CCE],2006).Thesemeasureshavebeendevelopedtoensurestandardizationofonlineanddistancecounselingpracticesaswellastoassurethepublicthatcounselorswhousedistancetechnologiesadheretoaspecializedsetofethicalandpracticecodes.Ithasbeensuggestedthatifdemandfor online services continues to increase, then graduate trainingprogramsshouldincorporateaspectsofonlinecounseling(Mallen,Vogel,&Rochlen,2005).However,despitethegrowthandemergenceofonlinecounselingasadistinctformofcounselingpractice,littleresearchexiststhatoverviewstrainingmodelsthatarebestsuitedforthistypeofclinicalmedium(Chester&Glass,2006).

Heather Trepal, Shane Haberstroh, Thelma Duffey, and Marcheta Evans, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, Adult & Higher Education, The University of Texas at San Antonio. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Heather Trepal, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, Adult & Higher Education, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 501 Durango Boulevard, San Antonio, TX 78207 (e-mail: [email protected]).

CounselorEducation&SupervisionJune2007Volume46 267

Counseling Skills Development

Itcanbearguedthatthesuperviseddevelopmentofeffectivecoun-selingskillsisthecapstoneofmasters-levelcounselorpreparation(Egan,1998).Counselingproficiencycanbeconceptualizedalongadevelopmentaltrajectory,forwhichbasicattendingandrespond-ingskillsserveasthefoundationforadvancedpractice(Carkhuff,1987).Inaddition,thestandardsoftheCouncilforAccreditationofCounselingandRelatedEducationalPrograms(CACREP;2001)indicate that counselorsmust understand the full spectrum ofhelpingrelationships,includingfacilitatingtherapeuticconversa-tions,establishingcounselinggoals,designinginterventions,andterminatingthecounselingrelationship(SectionII.5.b.).Thereareseveralmodelsavailabletoteachstudentstheseprogressivedomainsofeffectivecounselingpractice(Carkhuff,1987;Ivey&Ivey,2007),andcurrentresearchhasillustratedthatmasterfulcounselingisbestconceptualizedasasynergismbetweeneffec-tiverelationalskillsandcomplexcaseconceptualizations(Little,Packman,Smaby,&Maddux,2005).Thus,counseloreducatorscan develop their students clinical acumen through close su-pervisionofcounselingbehaviorswhileprogressivelychallengingthem to usemore complex thinking about their clients.Giventhat the Internethas emergedasanoutlet for communicationandclinicalpractice,howcancounseloreducatorsbestpreparestudentstointeractonlineinawaythathonorstheaforemen-tionedassumptions?Inmostcounseloreducationprograms,studentsreceivedidactic

instruction about the components of basic counseling skills andare thenofferedopportunities toengage insupervisedcounselingpractice(M.E.Young,2005).Becausefewcounselorsandcounseloreducatorshavebeenformallytrainedandcertifiedinonlinecoun-selingskills(CCE,2006),wehighlightstrategiesforadaptingsomebasiccounselingskillsinvolvedinestablishingandmaintainingthetherapeutic relationship (e.g., theuse of language, questionsandreflections,andeffectivelyopeningandclosingsessions)foronlinepractice.Toillustratestudentsuseofonlinecounselingskills,weselectedexamples fromactual chat sessions thatwereconductedduringtwoseparatecoursesattwolargesouthwesternuniversities.Onecourseinvolvedinternshipstudentsinprovidingfivesupportivechatcounselingsessionstonewlyadmittedgraduatestudents.Thestudentsandclientsinthisgroupbothgavetheirvoluntaryinformedconsent,asdefinedbytheInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB)attheuniversitytohavetheirconfidentialinformationreported.Thatis,studentswerewillingtoparticipateinthestudy,realizingpriortoconsent that their nonparticipationwould not incur penalty. Theothercourseincludedstudentswhoportrayedcounselorandclientroles througha role-playing format (i.e.,notdiscussingactual orpersonalmaterial).For thiscourse, IRBapprovalwasobtained toreportconfidential,archivaldata.


Foundations and Principles of Teaching Basic Online Counseling Skills

Ourcollectiveexperience inteaching,researching,andsupervisingonlinecounseling(Evans&Hawkins,2002;Haberstroh,Parr,Bradley,Morgan-Fleming,&Gee, inpress;Haberstroh,Parr,Gee,&Trepal,2006;Haberstroh,Trepal,&Parr,2006)indicatesthatstudentsmayinitially express concerns about the practice of online counseling.Foremost,studentsmayperceiveonlinecounselingasnotbeingrealcounseling (Haberstroh et al., in press).Online counseling is rela-tivelynew, andaswithanynovel approach, trepidationmay existaboutthelegitimacyofthistypeofinteraction(Heinlenetal.,2003;Lebow,1998;Robson&Robson,1998).Forexample,individualsmayknowaboutthedangersassociatedwithchatroomsandsomeoftheproblematicthingsthatcanhappeninthem(e.g.,childperpetrators,anonymousidentities,moneyscams),and,therefore,mightbebiasedagainstthebasicvalidityofInternet-basedcounseling(K.S.Young,2005).Therefore,studentshaveoftenaskedus,Doesonlinecounsel-ingreallywork?Toanswerthisquestion,itishelpfulforcounseloreducators to consider and communicate to students the evidencerelatedtoonlinecounseling.

Brief Review of Online Counseling LiteratureNumerousstudieshaveexaminedtheeffectivenessofInternetcoun-seling foravarietyof clinical concerns. Inessence, Internet-basedcounselinghasbeenshowntobeeffectiveinalleviatingsymptomsofdepressivedisorders(Christensen,Griffiths,&Jorm,2004),anxietydisorders(Kenardy,McCafferty,&Rosa,2003; Lange,VandeVen,&Schrieken,2001; Rassau&Arco,2003; Richards,Klein,&Carlbring,2003),andvarioussomaticissues(Strom,Pettersson,&Andersson,2000,2004; Tate,Wing,&Winett,2001).Furthermore,researchershave found that clients rate online clinical relationships favorably(Cook&Doyle,2002).However,ChesterandGlass(2006)notedthatsmallsamplesizesandtherapidprogressionoftechnologymaylimitthegeneralizabiltyofstudyresultstothegrowingpopulationofonlineclientsandcounselors. Ithasbeennotedthatonlinecounseling iscontraindicatedincaseswhereclientsneedtobehospitalizedorhavesuicidalideationordisplaypersonalitydisorders(Stofle,2001).Otherresearchershavecautionedthatthelackofnonverbalinformationinonlinecounselingpracticemayinterferewithorlimittheestablish-mentofatherapeuticrelationship(Cook&Doyle,2002;DeGuzman&Ross,1999;Rochlenetal.,2004).Asaninteractiveformofwritingaboutemotionsandproblems,on-

linecounselingmayharnesssimilarprocessesthatunderpinjournal-ingabouttroublingthoughtsandemotions.Aconsiderableresearchbasehas found that therapeuticwriting is a powerfulmedium forenhancing client growth andwell-being (Campbell & Pennebaker,2003;Penn,2001;Pennebaker,1997;Soper&VonBergen,2001).Askingstudentstothinkaboutthetherapeuticbenefitsofwritingin


adiaryorjournalmayhelpthemdrawparallelsbetweentheseprac-tices and online counseling. Furthermore,when discussing onlinepracticewith students, itmaybehelpful to illustrate all thewaysthat online counseling couldbeused.For example, chat or e-mailsessionscouldbeusedasadjunctswhenclientsareunavailabletoattendface-to-facesessionsbecauseofillness,familyobligations,ortravel.Therefore,beforebeginningactualonlinecounselingsessions,studentsshouldreviewthecurrentliteratureandpracticeguidelinesrelated to online counseling (CCE, 2006; NBCC, 1998). Finally, topreparestudentsforonlineinteraction,wesuggestthatinstructorshostanonlinedialogueaboutresearchandpracticeofonlinecounsel-ingwithstudents,usingcourseware(e.g.,WebCt,Blackboard)chatroomsormessageboards.

Ethical and Procedural Considerations for Online CounselingInitsnewestpublishedethicalguidelines,ACA(2005)addressestheuseoftechnologyincounseling.Afullreviewoftheseguidelinesisbeyondthescopeofthisarticle,butitisessentialthatcounselors(a)ascertainthelegalandethicalrequirementsoftheirjurisdictionandthatoftheclient;(b)assessclientsknowledgeandabilityre-latedtotechnology;(c)determineclientsaccesstoprivatelocations;(d)discussconfidentiality,security,andencryption;and(e)provideclientsalternatemethodsofcommunication incaseof technologyfailure.ACArequiresthatallconfidentialcommunicationoccurviaencrypted channels. Basically, encryption is amathematical pro-cessthatconvertstext,video,oraudiostreamsintoascrambled,unreadable formatwhentransmittedover the Internet.Counseloreducatorsmayfindtheinformationathttp://www.verisign.comandhttp://www.rsasecurity.comhelpful in explaining the concepts ofencryptedcommunication.Finally,asacourseassignment,werec-ommendthatstudentscreateaninformedconsentdocumentthatisbasedontheACAethicalcodesrelatedtoinformedconsentandonlinecounselinganduploadthemtotheclassWebsiteforperusal(seeAppendixforasampleinformedconsentdocument).

Online and Face-to-Face Counseling: Intersections and DivergenceAswithany formofcounseling,establishinganonline therapeuticrelationshipinvolvesnegotiatingprofessionalboundaries(Hermansson,1997).Typically,counselingstudentsaretrainedtofacilitateface-to-facetherapeuticinteractions.Incontrast,cybercounselingsessionsmaydifferconsiderablybecause(a)significanttimemayelapsebetweenresponsesand(b)thesessionsmayoccurviasynchronousorasyn-chronouschannels.Synchronouscommunicationisadistance-basedconversationthatoccursinrealtimeandmaybefacilitatedviachatrooms, real-time video, or telephone. Asynchronous conversationsareaccomplishedthroughe-mails,messageboardpostings,orvideoe-mails,where theremaybeasignificantamountof timebetweenresponses.Ithasbeennotedthatsynchronouscommunicationsmay


producemore immediate,direct responses,whereasasynchronouscommunicationsallowformorereflectionandpurposefulresponses(Davidson-Shivers,Tanner,&Muilenburg,2000).Inaddition,ithasalsobeensuggestedthatsynchronousdiscussionslendthemselvesto social interactions, whereas asynchronous discussionsmay bemoretask-oriented(Im&Lee,2003/2004),suggestingthatdifferentformsof communicationmayservedifferentpurposes.Thisarticlefocusesonhowcounselorscanrespondeffectivelyinsynchronous,text-basedcounselingsessions.

Case Examples of Online Skills

Aspreviouslystated,initialonlineconversationsmaycenterontheclientsfamiliarityandcomfortwithusingInternet-facilitatedcounsel-ingservices.Beforebeginninganycounselingsession,werecommendthat students and clients review and digitally acknowledge postedinformedconsentdocumentation.Becauseoftimeconsiderations,anyquestionsrelatedtoinformedconsent,security,ortechnologyshouldbefacilitatedviae-mailpriortotheactualsynchronousonlineses-sions.Toillustratethisprocess,inthefollowingdialogueastudentandclientreviewinformedconsentprocedures.

Student counselor:Hello,Linda(pseudonym).Welcometoourfirstsession.Atthistime,ifyouwouldreviewane-mailIsentyouthismorning;ithastheinformedconsentformattachedthatyoushouldprintoutandreview.Iwillbewaitinghereforyou.Letmeknowifyouhaveanyquestions.

Client: I have alreadyprinted the informed consent and signed it, so I amready.

In the above session, the student did not need to spend anhourtypinginformedconsentproceduresbecausetheclienthaddownloadedandreadtheform.Therefore,thedialoguecouldfocusonquestionsorelaborationofthepoliciesandprocedures.Afterconversations related to informed consent have concluded, thesessioncanbegin.Inthetypicalsequenceoftraditionalcounselingprocesses,initialconversationsbetweenclientandcounselormayevolvefromsmalltalktomoretherapeuticdiscussions.However,researchhasfoundthatsynchronousonlinecounselingoccursatamuchslowerpacethanface-to-facesessions(Haberstrohetal.,inpress).Forexample,theprocessofonlinecounselingrequiresbothcounselorsandclientstotakemoretimerespondingtooneother.Themaindifferencebetweenonline(synchronous)andtraditionalcounselingisthatittakesplaceinwrittenform.Thus,theremaybe less timeavailable forsmall talk.Becauseonlinecounselingmaybeanovelinteractionfortheclient,initialconversationscouldcenterondiscussionofthecyberenvironment.Forexample,thefollowingtranscript illustrateshowastudentmovedfromsmalltalktodiscussingpresentingproblemswithherclient:

Student counselor:Hello.Myname isJaneDoe. IamacounselingstudentunderthesupervisionofDr.SallyT.Smith[pseudonym]attheuniversity.


Iamsogladyouareanightowlandwillingtomeetonlinethisevening.Client:Itisnicebeingabletohaveaccesstoaservicelikethis.Student counselor:Jessie(pseudonym),canyoutellmesomethingaboutyourexperienceandcomfortlevelwithouronlineservices?

Client:Well,Ihavenopriorexperience.Thisisactuallymyfirsttimeusingthisservice. IamprettycomfortableusingthissitebecauseI feel that itmustbeasecuresitesinceitispartoftheuniversitysystem.

Student counselor:Iamgladtoknowthatyoufeelcomfortableandarewillingtotrysomethingalittledifferent.Doyouhaveanythinginparticularpress-ingonyourmindorthatyouwouldliketodiscussthisevening?

Intheaboveexample,thestudentcounselorexplorestheclientscomfort level with online counseling prior to beginning the actualcounselingsession.Therefore,inopeningonlinesessions,werecom-mendthatstudentsaretaughtto(a)discussreactions,experiences,andcomfortwithonlinecounseling;(b)reviewethicalandconfiden-tialitystatementsthathavebeenreviewedanddigitallysignedbytheclient;and(c)begintodiscusspresentingissues.In addition to skills and procedures related to opening online

sessions, other considerations should be addressedwhen trainingstudents. In counselor preparation programs, students are taughtnotonlytofocusonverbalmessagesinsessions,butalsotomoni-tornonverbalbehaviors(Ivey&Ivey,2007;M.E.Young,2005).Theabsence of nonverbal information onlinemay create some anxietyforstudentsbecausetheyperceivethattheyareunabletoreadtheirclients body language or to see how amessage is being received.Thus,onlinecounselinginvolvesauniquesetofskillsandtoleranceforambiguitywheninteractinginanenvironmentthat isdevoidofnonverbalinformation.

Online Skills to Address the Absence of Nonverbal FeedbackNonverbalbehaviorsarecriticalinhumanrelationships,accountingforaconsiderableamountofthevarianceincommunication(Highlen&Hill,1984).Specifically,nonverbalinteractionsareessentialincoun-selingrelationshipsfor(a)gauginghowclientsarefeelingorreacting,(b)pointingoutdiscrepanciesbetweenverbalandnonverbalbehaviors,and(c)bringingimmediacytothecounselingsessions(Highlen&Hill,1984;M.E.Young,2005).Inonlinecounseling,nonverbalbehaviorstakeonanotherform.Studentscanbeinstructedtomodeltheeffec-tiveuseofnonverbalbehaviorsincyberspacebyintentionallywritingtheirthoughtsandfeelingsandencouragingtheirclientstodothesame.Forexample,studentsshouldbetrainedtoconveyaffectwithwordsandsymbols(e.g.,,,).To illustrate thispractice,a studentwrote the followingstatementinsession:Nicetomeetyou,Sam[pseudonym].*shakeshand*MynameisMark[pseudonym]....HowmayIbeofhelptoday?Inthisexample, the studentwas able to convey a common expression ofgreetingthatotherwisewouldhavebeenlostonline.Thus,thestudentshouldbegintobecomeawareofandcommunicateherorhisfeelingsandnonverbalbehaviors insessionsandbegin toexperimentwithdifferentwaysofconveyingnonverbalbehavioronline(e.g.,describ-


ingaffectandreactions,usingemoticons,andaskingtheclientforclarification)untiltheyhavedevelopedarepertoireofresponses.Ithasbeensuggested that, inaddition toanemphasisonconveyingnonverbalbehavior, students should receive additional training onempathiconlinecommunicationandtheuseofemoticonstosharefeelingsandthoughts,whichcanhelpcounselorsintheonlineenvi-ronment(Mallenetal.,2005).Finally,itisimportantforstudentstobecomeawareoftheuniqueformsoflanguagethathaveevolvedintandemwiththeWorldWideWeb.

The Language of Online Communication

Languagetakesonauniqueforminmanycultures,andcyberspaceisnoexception.Oneneedlookonlyasfarasthenearesthighschoolstudentscellphonetoattempttodecipherarangeoftextmessagelanguagethathasbecomecommonplace.Everevolvingonlinelanguagehasbecomecommonplaceforindividualsastheycommunicateviatextmessaging,e-mail, and chat rooms.Counselor educators and studentsneed tofamiliarizethemselveswithcommonandpopularonlineabbreviationssuchasLOL(laughoutloud),ROTFL(rollingonthefloorlaughing),AFK(awayfromkeyboard),aswellastheuseofemoticonsorcharacterstoconveyemotions(i.e.,:-(=sadorannoyed;:)=happy;(::[]::)=aband-aidusedtorepresenthelp).Furthermore,theseabbreviationsandonlineexpressionsmayvarywithageandexperience.Forexample,morerecentidiomsincludeabbreviationssuchasPOS(parentovershoulder),WU(whatsup?),411(information),andreferencestocurrentvideogamesandsongs.Sitessuchashttp://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfmandhttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/windowsmessenger/emoticons.mspxprovideanoverviewofcommontermsusedonline,andstudentsshouldbeencouragedtoreviewthemperiodically.Clientswhoareattractedtoonlinecounselingmaybefamiliarwith

onlineforumssuchaschatrooms,onlinegroups,andmessageboardsandmaycommunicateinthismannerwitheaseandfluidity.Justastheywouldwithanyclientwhousesanexpressionthatisnotunderstood,studentsshouldasktheclientaboutthemeaningofsuchexpressions.Onlinetermscomeinandoutofvogueand,dependingonfactorssuchasageandfamiliaritywithformat,mayvaryimmensely.Thefollowingdialogueisanillustrationoftheuseofonlinelanguage:

Student counselor: Howareyoudoingtoday?Client:mdoingfinehowboutu???

Inthisexample,theclientshortenedIamtomandyoutou.Duringthesession,thestudentcontinuedtouseproperEnglish,andtheclientwroteinshorthand.RelevantclassdiscussionscouldcenterontheprofessionalismofusingInternetshorthand,andresearchisneededtoevaluatehowthecounselorsuseoflanguageonlineaffectscounselingsessions.Inaddition,itisimportantthatstudentsareawareofmulticulturaland

diversityissuesrelativetoclientcommunicationpatterns.Morespecifi-


cally,counselorsmayconsiderhowconnectionisformedandexpressedwithinandacrossculturesandhowsuchexpressioncanbefacilitatedonline.Atthesametime,althoughitisimportantforstudentstoavoidstereotyping,competentcounselorsconsidertherolethatculture,race,orgendermayhaveontheconnectionsformedthroughonlinecounsel-ingandontheensuingrelationalchallengesthatmayoccur.In summary,whenattempting to establish online counseling re-

lationships, studentsneed to become aware of common obstacles,includingunfamiliaritywiththeonlineenvironment,exploringalter-nativewaystoconveynonverbalinformation,andgivingattentiontotheuniqueuseofonlinelanguage.Oncecounselorshavenavigatedthe factorsthatareuniquetoonlinecounseling, theycanbegintouseotherbasicinterviewingandcounselingskills.

Effective Use of Questioning and ProbingEffectivequestioningassistscounselorsingainingadeeperunderstand-ingoftheirclientsstoriesandmayfacilitatecreativewaysforclientstothinkabouttheirproblems.However,studentsoftenshowanoverreli-anceonquestions(M.E.Young,2005)andmaybarrageaclientorlosefocusinthesession.Itiscrucialforstudentstostayfocusedandaskaminimalnumberofquestionsinanonlineenvironmentbecauseoftheslowerpace(Haberstrohetal.,inpress)ofthecounselingsessions.Askingafloodofquestionswhileaclientisconsideringresponsestopreviousquestionsmayconfuseclientsaboutthedirectionandfocusofthesession.Becauseofthesedynamics,wetheorizethatproduc-tiveonlinesessionsalmostsingularlyfocusononetopic,exploringitindepth. Inthe followingexample,astudentrespondstoherclientinanempathicfashion,promptingtheclienttodiscussatumultuousfriendshipinmoredepth.

Student counselor:Itsoundslikeyourereceivingmessages,definitelyaddingtotheconfusionandanger.Asmuchasyouarecomfortable,canyoudescribethedifficultieswithyourfriend,whichledtotheconflict?

Theclient continued towriteabouther emotional reactions to thefriendship,andthestudentfollowedwiththestatement,

Student counselor:Youclearly feelverybetrayedandlikelydevastated.Youmentionedyouhadbeenbestfriendsfor3years.Howareyoucopingwithallofthis?

In this example, thestudentacknowledged theclients concernbyusingclearreflectionandwell-formulatedquestions.Also,thestudentintermingledreflectiveresponseswithherquestions,communicatingherunderstandingofthepotentialemotionsinvolvedwhileconcurrentlyaskingtheclienttothinkmoredeeplyaboutthesituation.Thus,theclientwasaskedtoclarifypersonalthoughtsontheproblemaswellastoclarifythecopingmechanismsused.Similartotheinstructionofreal-timecounselingskills,onlinecounsel-

ingalsoreliesonwell-placedquestions,perhapsevenmoresobecause


ofthefocusednatureofsessions.Becausetypingisaslowerprocessthantalking,contentthatcantake1hourinatraditionalsessioncaneasilybecondensedto20minutesonline.However,studentsalsohaveaccesstoarunningtranscriptofthesessiontoperuse.Thisprocessmayhelpthestudenttoefficientlycraftquestionsbecausesheorhedoesnotneedtorememberthespecificsofsessioncontent(Haberstrohetal.,inpress).Itisimportant,however,inonlinecounselingtofocusvery clearly on identified issues, andwe recommend that studentsjudiciouslyusequestionstohelpguidethesession.

Effective Use of Reflective Online Counseling ResponsesAccuratelyreflectingthecontent,meaning,andfeelingsofclientstate-mentsisacornerstoneofcounselingpractice(Ivey&Ivey,2007;M.E.Young,2005).Inonlinepractice,itisessentialthatclientsperceivethattheyarebeingunderstoodbytheircounselor.Becausecounsel-orscannotconveywarmththroughbodylanguageandeyecontact,onlinesessionstendtocoversmall,focusedamountsofmaterial,andwell-placedreflectiveresponsesarecriticaltoeffectiveonlinepractice.Becauseofthenatureofonlinecounselingandlackofbodylanguage,reflectionsofemotionmaybecomemorecomplexbecausecounselorscanonlyassumewhatclientsarefeelingonthebasisoftextalone.Thisdynamic isbestnegotiatedwhenclientsandcounselorshavepermissiontochecktheaccuracyoftheirstatementsandtomodifythemasneeded.Thefollowingexampleshowshowastudentreflectedtheemotionandcontentofherclientsstatements:

Student counselor:Itsoundslikethiswasadeepandpersonalrelationshipthatyouthoughtwasbuiltonmutualtrustandrespect.Theeffectsofsuchanabruptandhurtfulendingoftherelationshipcanbedevastating.Itsoundslikeyoudefinitelymissher,eventhoughyouareangryrightnow.

Giventhattheclientandstudentwereinteractingmilesapart,withnobodylanguagetoguidethesession,thestudentwasstillabletoconveyarangeofemotions,fromsadnesstoanger,andwasabletobeinthemomentwithherclientsanger.Forstudentswhoarefirstlearningonlinecounselingskills,werec-

ommendthattheyuseveryfewopen-endedquestionsandrelymoreonreflectiveresponses.Thisisdueinparttothelimitedamountofcontentthatcanbecoveredinsessionaswellasthepotentialforasessiontobecomeadisjointedquestion-and-answerexchange.

Closing the SessionEffectivelyandsmoothlyclosinganonlinesessionrequiresstudentstobeawareoftimeconstraintsandtoallowforampleopportunityprocessingattheendofthesession.Werecommendthatstudentsbegin closing 10 to 15minutes before the session is scheduled toend.Thisallowstimeforreflectionandkeepsthesessionfromendingabruptly.Inthefollowingexamples,thestudentsbrieflysummarizethesession,expressenthusiasmaboutcontinuingtheprocess,andschedulethenextcounselingsession:


Student counselor:Sam[pseudonym]:Itwasniceworkingwithyouthisevening,andIlookforwardtoournextsessiononSaturdayandhearingaboutanyprogressorfurtherexploringthisorotherconcernswithyou.

Client: Allright.Student counselor: *Endofsession*

In the above example, the student deliberately ends the sessionbyplacingasterisksaroundtheclosingstatement. Inthe followingexample, thestudentgives theclient theopportunity toshareanythoughtsaboutproblemsthathaveemergedduringthesessionthatneedattention.

Student counselor:Itsoundslikeyouarestillworkingthroughthisinmanywaysandhopefullyourtimetogetherwillbehelpfultoyouatleasttoex-pressyourthoughtsandfeelings.Didanythingelsecomeupforyouduringthissessionthatweneedtodiscussbeforeourtimeiscompletedfortoday?Pleaseletmeknowattheconclusionofanysessionifyouarehavinganespeciallydifficult time. Ifnot, thenIwould liketoscheduleoursessionfornextweek.Morningsaregreatformeanyday,butFridayofnextweek.Ialsohavesomeafternoontimesifnecessary.

Client:Morningsaregreatforme,too.HowaboutnextWednesdayat9:00?Student counselor: Thatshouldwork!Iwillseeyouthen.Imgladwecouldspendthistimetogethertoday.

Client: Iam,too.Iwilltalktoyounextweek.

Insummary,counselorscanlearntofacilitateaproductiveonlinecounselingsessionbyattendingtoseveralvariablesthatareuniquetothisformofcommunication.Specifically,werecommendthatcoun-seloreducatorsassiststudentsinbecomingmorefamiliarwithonlinecounselingand the cyberspace environment.For example, studentsshouldacquaintthemselveswiththeACAethicalcodes(seeACA,2005)regarding online counseling; they should also develop and practicebasic counseling skills (e.g., attending tononverbal behavior, usingquestions,reflecting,closingthesession),makingslightmodificationsfortheonlineenvironment.Moreresearchisneededonthetopicofonlinecounselingskills.Asthedemandforonlinecounselingservicescontinuesto increase (Mallenetal.,2005),counseloreducatorscanandshouldencouragestudentstobecomeawareofthedifferencesincommunicatingincyberspace(e.g.,languageissues,condensedmes-sages)inthehopethatabasicunderstandingofthecommunicationculturewillenhancetheonlinecounselingrelationship.

Discussion

Thefocusofthisarticlehasbeenonteachingcounselortraineesbasicskillsforestablishingandmaintainingacounselingrelationshipinanonlineenvironment.Futureresearchcouldbestfocusonhowtheseandotherbasicskillscanbedeliveredmoreeffectivelyinanonlineenvironment.Thecounselingskillsneededforrelationshipsthatex-istinrealtimemaydiffermarkedlyfromthoseneededintheonlineenvironment. Research is needed to evaluate relationship buildingskillsincyberspace,suchashowthecounselorsuseoflanguageon-lineaffectssessions.Inaddition,researchisalsoneededtoevaluate


theroleofbasicrelationshipskills inasynchronousconversations.Futurestudiesmightalsoinvestigatespecificteachingmethodsthatcanbeusedinpreparingcounselingstudentstointeractonline.Be-cause relationshipskillsprovide thebasis forcounseling,wehopethatfutureresearchinthisareawillbegintoaddressthesebasicis-suesandthenmoveontoestablishideasandtechniquesregardingteachingothermoreadvancedcounselingskillsrelativetosessionsthatoccurincyberspace.

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AppendixSample informed Consent

This document overviews informed consent procedures for conducting online counseling relationships as recommended in the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Associa-tion, 2005). We suggest that the following statements are included in addition to the standard informed consent documentation when providing online services. Following each statement we note the section of the ACA Code of Ethics that we addressed.

For online counseling to be effective, the following elements need to be in place to help ensure a productive working online counseling relationship:

Prior to beginning services, I will need to establish that online counseling is permitted by relevant statutes and codes of practice in our respective locations (Section A.12.e.). I may need to consult with relevant state and legal authorities to determine the feasibility of offering online counseling to you (Section A.12.f.). This may delay the beginning of our work together. I will inform you of the rights and limitations that I discover (Section A.12.g.4.). If online counseling is not viable, I will work with you to find local resources and information (Section A.12.c.).

On my Web site, I mention the intention to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Please let me know how I can better accommodate you (Section A.12.h.6.).

I have provided links to my licensing and certification boards (Section A.12.h.3.) and links to national crisis hotlines (Section A.12.g.9.). I also regularly check the site to verify that the links are working. Please let me know if you find a nonworking link so that I can change it (Section A.12.h.1.).

In the initial screening and assessment process, we will overview your presenting concern and physical, intellectual, and emotional capabilities to determine if online counseling is the best counseling approach for you. Online counseling has many benefits that may include increased convenience, a sense of confidentiality, the ability to reach people in remote locations, and evidence supporting its usefulness for a variety of concerns. However, there are limitations that include technology failures, lack of nonverbal communication dynamics, potential for not receiving immediate feedback for a referral and assistance (Section A.12.a.), and the very remote chance that information may be intercepted by a third party (Section A.12.g.1.).

It is imperative that you are capable to use online services. This would include having a working knowledge of computers, e-mail, and chat software programs (Section A.12.b.).

In addition, it is essential that you understand that our nonverbal communication may be limited, text sessions may occur at a slower pace than face-to-face conversations, and there may be some delays in our conversations (Section A.12.a.). Thus, online counsel-ing practice may be most beneficial for clients not experiencing severe emotional crisis (Section A.12.b.).

Related to access to our sessions, our services are hosted on an encrypted server. However, certain individuals may have authorized access to our records as part of their regular duties. As of November 2006, these individuals are [List of employees with access] (Section A.12.g.2.). I make every attempt to keep our conversations strictly confidential.

Likewise, I ask that you determine who has access to your computer and electronic infor-mation from your location. This would include family members, coworkers, supervisors, and friends. I would encourage you to communicate only through a computer that you know is safe, i.e., wherein confidentiality can be ensured. Please make sure to fully exit all online counseling sessions and e-mails (Section A.12.g.3.).

All of our chat and e-mail communication is encrypted with 128 bit encryption. This means that our messages are scrambled so that it is nearly impossible to decode them if they are intercepted by an unauthorized third party (Section A.12.g.5.). Furthermore, I only communicate via encrypted channels with clients. The use of my regular e-mail is for general questions (e.g., appointment times) only, and I will not respond to personal and clinical concerns via regular e-mail (Section A.12.g.6.).

Our counseling sessions will be stored on the server for [indicate length of time], after which point they will be permanently destroyed (Section A.12.g.7.).

(Continued on next page)


If we experience a technical failure or difficulty, you may contact me at [office number] or by pager at [pager number] so that we can communicate by telephone (Sections A.12.g.8.; A.12.h.2.).

Furthermore, if I am not available and you are in an emergency situation, please call 911 or contact the crisis hotlines listed on my Web site (Section A.12.g.9.).

Because we may be separated by distance, culture, language, and time zones, please be aware that our communication may be hindered by these differences. It is important that we dialogue about these issues at the beginning of our time together (Section A.12.g.10.).

Online counseling may not be covered by your insurance carrier. Please check with your insurance carrier to determine insurability for this type of counseling (Section A.12.g.11.).

If you are a minor, I will need to obtain written signed consent from your legal guardian (Section A.12.h.5.).

Appendix (Continued)Sample informed Consent

Documents

Cyber Counseling