A Preliminary Comparison Study of Online and Face-to-Face Counseling: Client Perceptions of Three Factors

This preliminary study examined the similarities and differences between online and face-to-face counseling with regard to general mental health, working alliance, and social presence. Participants included 50 current counseling clients (37 face-to-face, 13 online) who all were recruited through online mediums. Results indicated that online counseling clients perceived a significantly stronger working alliance on the total Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form as well as the Goal subscale than did those who received face-to-face only counseling. No significant differences existed between the groups on general mental health or social presence. These results suggest that a more controlled study with a larger sample might find that a strong working alliance can be developed through online counseling.     

Building a Predominantly Web-Based Course from Face-to-Face and Interactive Video Pilots: Administrative Skills for Social Work Practice

SUMMARY

This paper describes the design, development, pilot, and revision of a predominantly web-based macro social work practice course on administrative skills required for all MSW students at Michigan State University, a Research I, land grant university. The course was intentionally developed in stages, first in a face-to-face (F2F) and interactive video (ITV) setting and then predominantly online after content revision and update. The course uses streamed videotaped lectures as a central teaching format, with extensive use of discussion boards and other interactive tools. The contributions made by the F2F and ITV iteration will be highlighted, along with lessons learned from multiple online replications.     

A Survey of Online Practitioners: Implications for Education and Practice

In the last decade the helping professions have seen a growing interest in the provision of online counseling and therapeutic services for individuals. Like most fields of work, social work also has experienced a growth in the creative use of technology in various areas of professional work. Based on this growing interest and the need for such services and research on its efficacy, a study was conducted to learn from e-therapists across the United States on their experiences with this mode of service delivery. This paper elicits results from the online survey and provides recommendations to better serve our clients in the tech savvy world and future research endeavors. The main findings of this preliminary study include: (a) Many theoretical perspectives and models are being used to ground online practice, (b) e-therapists are beginning to use videoconferencing for online practice supplementing their face-to-face sessions, and (c) e-therapists believe that online interventions benefit their clients.     

Utilization of Advice from Face-to-Face and Internet-Mediated Advisors

Advice is increasingly sought and shared online, but advisory professionals debate the utility of such methods. Variations in recipients' perceptions of elements of traditional face-to-face (FTF) advice and Internet-mediated (IM) advice may influence its utilization. The present research investigated whether communication format (FTF vs. IM) and an advisor's level of expertise influence perceptions and utilization of advice. Participants played 30 rounds of a prisoner's dilemma game after receiving advice about the best strategy. There was a significant tendency for advice to be followed, but the advice format and advisor expertise had no significant influence on advice utilization and only minor influences on self-reported perceptions of the advice and the advisor. This has worrying implications, and could indicate a lack of critical awareness of advisors' expertise when deciding whether to follow advice or not. Implications for the professional advice field and further research possibilities are discussed.     

Personality and Gender as Predictors of Online Counseling Use

ABSTRACT

Extraversion, neuroticism, and gender as predictors of online counseling help-seeking behavior were investigated. A total of 176 college student participants, 30 men and 146 women, were given the NEO-PIR and ATSPPH-S that assessed, respectively, their personalities and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help through different modes: traditional face-to-face counseling, video-conferencing, e-mail, instant text message, and microphone. Results were analyzed using MANOVA and MANCOVA. Subjects were grouped by scores on personality variables: low, medium, and high. Findings suggest that attitudes toward different modes of seeking counseling were associated primarily with gender and extraversion but not with neuroticism.     

Learning by doing: an experiential approach to program evaluation

Despite the increased importance of producing social workers who are prepared to evaluate practice, there is a paucity of literature addressing the pedagogical challenges of program evaluation courses. The present study evaluates the structure and pedagogical approach of a newly implemented program evaluation course. The course took a team-based, experiential learning approach to designing a program evaluation plan for students’ field placement agencies. Five student-led focus groups (N = 44) were conducted at the conclusion of the course to address two aims: to assess student perceptions of the content, structure, and delivery of the course; and to assess student attitudes toward applied research. Data were collected between November and December 2014 in a public university’s graduate social work program in the northeastern United States. The steps of grounded theory data analysis were implemented to elicit major themes from student feedback. Results suggest that perceptions of applicability play a central role in shaping student attitudes toward program evaluation. Experiential and team-based pedagogical approaches appear to increase accessibility of course content for students. Suggestions for enhancing student learning in program evaluation courses are discussed.     

Cybercounseling Online: The Development of a University-Based Training Program for E-mail Counseling

ABSTRACT

The development of a university-based cybercounseling certificate program through the continuing education department of a graduate faculty of social work is described. This web-based program consists of two levels: introductory and advanced, and offers experienced face-to-face counselors training in an asynchronous, e-mail form of cybercounseling. Ethical issues such as cross-jurisdictional concerns, client appropriateness, and counselor insurance are discussed. A system developed to provide online e-mail security through web-based access and encryption is highlighted. Several techniques for e-mail counseling such as presence, and spacing and pacing are discussed and illustrated. Demographics of learners and feedback from graduates are presented and lessons learned are discussed.     

A Poem to Memorialize an Experiential Focal Group1

Thirteen women enrolled in a master’s level group therapy class participated in an experiential focal group culminating in the writing of a poem. The poem was part of the framework developed by the students to evaluate an in-class personal and professional growth experience. The poem provided greater meaning to the participants than a mere letter grade assigned by the professor for class participation alone. The emotional intensity created through class participation in a group therapy class lends itself to memorializing a deeply shared temporal experience in a form of expression that is apposite to a poem. ¹The author expresses gratitude to the students who participated in a classroom experiential focal group producing this poem and granting permission to write this paper.     

Exercise Motivation of College Students in Online,Face-to-Face,and Blended Basic Studies Physical Activity and Wellness Course Delivery Formats

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess exercise motivation among college students self-selected into 4 online (OL) and face-to-face (F2F) basic studies’ physical activity and wellness course delivery formats. Participants/Methods: Out of 1,037 enrolled students during the Spring 2009 semester, 602 responded online to demographic questions and to the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire, which assessed exercise motivation on 5 subscales. Results: There were no significant differences (p > .05) in exercise motivation for students across course delivery formats, but there was a significant difference in age and employment status between the completely OL and F2F course formats. Conclusions: Health and physical educators can utilize these findings to better understand that physical activity and wellness students are not necessarily trying to avoid physical activity when selecting the OL course format, but are more likely trying to balance work and school responsibilities and need greater flexibility in time and location.     

Grounding Online Prevention Interventions in Theory: Guidelines from a Review of Selected Theories and Research

ABSTRACT

Literature suggests that grounding online interventions in theory improves their success. This article reviews 10 theories selected from the fields of psychotherapy, social work, health promotion, gaming, and innovation dissemination that can be used for grounding the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of online interventions. Selected studies are reviewed to illustrate how these theories have been used in online human service interventions. After this review, an integrated theoretical approach for grounding online interventions is proposed along with guidelines suggested by the review.     

Facilitating Online Learning Communities: A Comparison of Two Discussion Facilitation Techniques

ABSTRACT

The advent of the twenty-first century has brought a proliferation of web-based courses in higher education. While prior studies have examined the comparability of online and traditional courses, a better understanding of effective pedagogical strategies to enhance online learning is needed. This study compared two distinct approaches to facilitating discussions in relation to participation rates, interaction patterns, depth of cognitive processing, and learning outcomes in two sections of an online course. Significant differences were found between sections (N = 41) in the frequency and types of interaction among students as well as in learning outcomes.     

Working Across the Disciplines/Shifting Perspectives: Student Experiences with an Online Course Focused on Interdisciplinary Practice with Children and Families

SUMMARY

As more universities and other places of higher learning respond to the changing needs of the community-bound learner, new technologies are being harnessed to shift the delivery of historically “classroom-bound” programs to alternate and more universally accessible formats. This article describes how an online course uses interactive exercises to engage students in mutual exploration of cross and/or interdisciplinary work. The course serves students from various professional schools, including social work, child and youth care, nursing, and education. Through the use of online discussion and case-study role-plays, it facilitates an experiential learning environment that is reflective of the student's own practice in a learning setting.     

Interviewing Older Adults: A Comparison of Telephone and Face-to-Face Modalities

This article examines telephone interviewing of older adultsand compares it with face-to-face interviews. Specifically,the following issues are examined in several national surveys:(1) differences in age distributions between the samples ofadults reached in both modes; (2) explanations for potentialdifferences in age distributions; (3) differences between thetwo modes in demographic characteristics in the adults reached,in interview process and in response quality, and how thesemode differences vary by age of the respondents. Telephone surveystend to underrepresent older persons, and older persons whodo participate in a telephone survey are disproportion atelywell educated. Implications of the lower response rate amongolder persons are softened by the fact that reponse distributionsacross a range of questions show little difference by interviewmode between older persons and persons of other age groups.     

Organizing Self-Help Groups for Empowerment and Social Change

Abstract

Empirical research has shown that self-help groups are not purely about individual change and intra-personal empowerment, but also about policy change and collective empowerment. In North America and Europe, such groups have been in the forefront of social change, and self-help represents a new political potential. However, findings of this study of self-help groups in Hong Kong indicate that social change has never been their common objective. In addition, members of the Hong Kong groups feel unable to impact social policies that affect their lives, despite wanting to do so. It is contended in this paper that this feeling of powerlessness among members might be related to the nature, size and length of existence of the self-help groups. It is further argued that self-help groups should form coalitions and seek professional assistance in order to effect social change and to strengthen and broaden their power base.     

Preliminary Validation of an Online DSM-Based Mental Health Referral Inventory

A brief online inventory was developed as a much needed corrective for the hundreds of unscientific tests that are used now by millions of people to self-diagnose mental health problems. The primary purpose of the new inventory is to refer people to mental health professionals for further evaluation when they are experiencing problems that might be diagnosable under DSM guidelines; it is not designed to diagnose, however. The inventory was found to be a valid and reliable measuring instrument based on analysis of data obtained from 3,403 subjects. The 54-item checklist looks for 18 common problems identified in the DSM-IV and takes from 5 to 10 min to complete. Test scores proved to be good predictors of a variety of self-reported criterion measures, including happiness, personal and professional success, history of hospitalization, history of therapy, current participation in therapy, employment, and level of education. Females were found to have slightly more mental health problems than males, but no differences in scores were found by race or ethnicity.     

Faculty Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Web-Based Instruction in Social Work Education: A National Study

SUMMARY

This paper presents the findings of a national study that examined the perceptions of faculty with Web-based teaching experience concerning the effectiveness of Web-based instruction as compared to face-to-face instruction in social work education. The findings suggest that faculty perceived face-to-face instruction to be more effective than Web-based instruction in all curriculum areas. However, the extent of perceived effectiveness of Web-based instruction varied by curriculum area. Also, online teaching in areas such as practice was viewed as least effective, suggesting that the traditional “no significant difference” conclusions between face-to-face and online teaching need to be examined more closely.     

Student Perspectives of Online Discussions: Strengths and Weaknesses

SUMMARY

Limited research exists that examines student perceptions of online discussions in fully online classes. This is a report of initial investigation into undergraduate distance education majors' perspectives of the pedagogical value of online discussions. Over a two semester period (Spring and Fall, 2003), students taking the same online course delivered using Web Course Tools (WebCT) were surveyed regarding opinions of online discussions. The students surveyed were undergraduate students enrolled in a fully online degree program at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Although limitations exist due to small sample size and a non-standardized data collection instrument, findings from this exploratory study offer insight into undergraduate distance education student opinions of the strengths and weaknesses of online discussions as a pedagogical tool.     

Using a real case scenario in teaching social work with children and families in different practice settings

Transforming classroom knowledge into practice competency is particularly challenging in social work with children and families. It involves complex, competitive practice approaches and different service settings with procedures and norms influencing a child’s wellbeing. The paper presents the content, application, and evaluation of a module based on a case scenario which considers the limitations and achievements of social work with children and families in different settings. A mixed-method approach was applied to this review process. Students were given an evaluative questionnaire based on the theoretical framework of experiential learning whereupon they wrote reflective essays describing their learning experience. Case method contributes to the acquisition of reflective, integrative, and stimulating knowledge. The participation level contributes to the students’ satisfaction during such learning. Students have learned that families with multiple and complex needs require a holistic approach that separate systems and services cannot provide. This way of learning, with certain limitations, allows activation and an intensive learning experience for large groups of students relevant for a number of social work schools.