Online Counseling and Therapy: Critical Issues
Course #66734 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Internet technology is a common household item for many families and households in the United States. It has and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the economic, social, political, and cultural landscape. Not only has it affected commerce, but the fields of physical health, mental health and counseling have also incorporated Internet technologies in the delivery of services and resources. As a result, the general public can access services from home within minutes, at their convenience. Looking toward the future, as personal computers and computer software applications become less expensive and more accessible, more and more agencies and organizations will be able to offer a diverse array of services via the Internet. Despite the debate about the strengths and limitations of utilizing Internet technologies in the delivery of mental health services, there is a consensus that online counseling and mental health service will certainly become more popular. Consequently, professionals should have an understanding of the clinical, legal, and ethical context of online counseling/therapy. Clinicians should be familiar with the empirical research in order to evaluate the strengths, challenges, and efficacy of online counseling and assist individuals who may be considering online counseling.
- INTRODUCTION
- AN OVERVIEW OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES
- DEFINITION OF TERMS
- APPLICATIONS OF ONLINE COUNSELING
- EVALUATING MERITS AND LIMITATIONS OF ONLINE COUNSELING
- ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS AND COUNSELING: A SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT
- ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES
- EFFICACY STUDIES OF ONLINE COUNSELING
- SUITABILITY OF ONLINE COUNSELING
- CONCLUSION
- RESOURCES
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This introductory course is designed for psychologists who work in a clinical practice setting.
As Internet technologies continue to expand and become more accessible to the general public, their use in clinical helping professions will surely continue to grow. Due to the increasing prevalence of the Internet and its use in clinical practice, the purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the practice issues, strengths and limitations, and legal and ethical issues pertaining to online counseling.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Review Internet history and usage trends.
- Define terms associated with online counseling.
- Evaluate different technological applications for online counseling.
- List the advantages and limitations of online counseling.
- Identify sociocultural issues involved with the use of online counseling.
- Discuss ethical and legal issues pertaining to online counseling.
- Describe the empirical literature related to the efficacy of online counseling.
- Discuss clinical practice considerations within the context of online counseling.
Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, received her Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University, School of Social Work. She has clinical experience in mental health in correctional settings, psychiatric hospitals, and community health centers. In 1997, she received her PhD from UCLA, School of Public Policy and Social Research. Dr. Yick Flanagan completed a year-long post-doctoral fellowship at Hunter College, School of Social Work in 1999. In that year she taught the course Research Methods and Violence Against Women to Masters degree students, as well as conducting qualitative research studies on death and dying in Chinese American families.
Previously acting as a faculty member at Capella University and Northcentral University, Dr. Yick Flanagan is currently a contributing faculty member at Walden University, School of Social Work, and a dissertation chair at Grand Canyon University, College of Doctoral Studies, working with Industrial Organizational Psychology doctoral students. She also serves as a consultant/subject matter expert for the New York City Board of Education and publishing companies for online curriculum development, developing practice MCAT questions in the area of psychology and sociology. Her research focus is on the area of culture and mental health in ethnic minority communities.
Contributing faculty, Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Margaret Donohue, PhD
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.