Etherapy: A Training Program for Development of Clinical Skills in Distance Psychotherapy

ABSTRACT

This article describes a project by the Virtual Teaching and Cyberpsychology Laboratory of the National Autonomous University of Mexico developed to (1) implement a teaching program for clinical psychology students to learn therapeutic skills in providing online psychological services; (2) evaluate the students' acquisition of knowledge and skills in diagnosis via the Internet, case formulation of treatment, and adherence to treatment protocols; and (3) incorporate technologies for creating training settings and online professional services in order to develop the students' clinical competency in this treatment modality. A pilot study was conducted with 17 clinical psychology students in the first phase of the teaching program and 6 students during the second phase. Preliminary results indicate that students increased knowledge of Internet-based clinical interventions and improved in clinical skills. It is necessary to continue the evaluation of the teaching program with larger samples, and further research is suggested.     

Reaching Women Under Stress from a Partner's Drinking Problem: Assessing Interest in Online Help

Assessing prospective program reach is an important step prior to any online-development effort. This study assessed, preliminarily, interest in a proposed online coping skills training program for women living with a partner with a drinking problem, including their (a) overall program interest; (b) relative preference for an online versus face-to-face format; (c) likely use of adjunctive, professional communications; and (d) use under alternate fee structures. In a community sample of women with problem-drinking partners (N = 73), interest was high (73%); 46% preferred the online format; 31% preferred online and face-to-face formats equally. Interest in adjunctive contacts was high, but diminished with fees; interest-level predictors were few. Online skills training could potentially reach a large portion of this frequently hidden, underserved population, and be financially feasible.     

Cyber Counseling for Queer Clients and Clinicians

Abstract

As the Internet grows, so does its use by mental health professionals and by clients seeking mental health services. Drawing on his own experience as an example, the author describes how the Internet can enhance clinical practice. Social service professionals can utilize the Internet to provide a supportive forum for patients grappling with issues of self-identity; facilitate communication between therapist and client; provide community education about mental health issues; provide referrals to local social service professionals; market a private psychotherapy practice; and provide patient billing, scheduling, and record keeping.     

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.     

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.     

Development and Evaluation of a Web-Based Clinician Training Program for a Family-Focused Depression Preventive Intervention

This study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and satisfaction associated with a newly developed online clinician training program for the Family Talk preventive intervention, both alone and together with a redesigned, shortened, face-to-face component. Fifty-eight predominately in-home therapy clinicians participated in the study. Results indicated that clinician participants found the online training to be enjoyable and comprehensive, and they reported that the most beneficial training package involved the combination of web-based and in-person training. This combined training could efficiently cover necessary didactic material online while also delivering important clinical skill practice and in-person discussion. Exceptions, limitations, and important future research questions are discussed.     

Utilizing Online Training for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Benefits and Limitations

The prevalence of child sexual abuse demands innovative approaches to prevent further victimization. The online environment provides new opportunities to expand existing child sexual abuse prevention trainings that target adult gatekeepers and allow for large scale interventions that are fiscally viable. This article discusses the benefits and limitations of conducting online organizational trainings from the perspective of participants, including what participants found effective, what challenges were most commonly encountered, and trainee perspectives of the program's overall impact. The final section provides recommendations and lessons learned for practitioners and researchers who hope to utilize and assess online prevention trainings in the future.     

Electronic Technology for Social Work Education and Practice: The Application of Telephone Technology to Counseling

SUMMARY

The author in this article argues for the legitimization of the telephone in one-on-one and group professional practice in social work. She contrasts telephone hotline work and face-to-face counseling with her view of telephone counseling.     

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.     

Needs Assessment for a University-Based Employee Assistance Program

Between 10-20 percent of the total employee population in any institution of higher education are troubled employees. The lack of visibility and the absence of structure, especially in faculty positions, are risk factors. Higher education has become proactive in developing Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) in response to organizational personnel problems. A needs assessment survey was conducted to ascertain the need for a university-based EAP in a state university in southern California. The findings suggested that EAP services were needed.     

Multimedia Compact Disc: Play Therapy Counseling Skills

Multimedia compact discs have become an important part of counseling education. Many educators recognize the value of compact discs in training and methods of instruction. The purpose of this study was to develop an instructional compact disc and to survey counseling students' perceptions of the compact disc. Participants included 71 counseling graduate students from two universities in the southern part of the United States. Students viewed the compact disc and completed a survey to assess their perceptions of the compact disc. Overall students' perceptions were positive and they believed that the compact disc was a helpful tool in learning counseling skills.     

“Funny Face”: Shareware for Child Counseling and Play Therapy

SUMMARY

“Funny Face,” an off-the-shelf children's computer game, is used in play therapy and counseling with preschool and latency age children by the author/designer, who also serves as the therapist.     

Parents Forever: Evaluation of an Online Divorce Education Program

Divorce education programs are conducting increasingly rigorous impact evaluations to assess if their curriculum improves parenting practices, reduces conflict in the coparenting relationship, and improves outcomes for children. This article presents a 6-month follow-up evaluation of the online version of Parents Forever, an 8-hour divorce education course developed by the University of Minnesota Extension. At follow-up, parents (N = 232) reported significant improvements on several questions about postdivorce parenting and well-being, indicating that the online version of Parents Forever is effective in promoting positive behavioral change for parents.     

Innovative Moments in Career Construction Counseling: Proposal for an Integrative Model

This article advances understanding of career construction counseling (CCC) by viewing it through the lens of the innovative moments model (IMM) of how clients construct change. The IMM conceives clients’ narrative transformations as resulting from counselors prompting and clients reflecting on exceptions to a problematic self‐narrative (i.e., innovative moments; IMs) that emerges in counseling dialogues. On the basis of intensive IMM analysis of CCC case studies, the authors propose an integration of the 2 models that describes the sequence of client change in IMs across the 3 phases of CCC. This proposal provides both conceptual and assessment tools that make it possible to describe and analyze the process of client change through life‐designing dialogues. The authors illustrate the integrated framework with vignettes from case studies and conclude by suggesting research to examine the validity and usefulness of the client change sequence and interventions for using this pattern of change to foster client transformation.     

Web 2.0 Technologies: Facilitating Interaction in an Online Human Services Counseling Skills Course

In the face-to-face classroom, human services counseling educators rely on highly interpersonal, interactive methods to teach clinical skills. Replicating these instructional methods in the asynchronous, text-based e-learning environment has been difficult and sometimes impossible. However, web-based technologies, specifically Web 2.0 technologies, may afford educators the opportunity to simulate and enhance the strengths of highly interpersonal and interactive methods of face-to-face clinical skill instruction. These authors demonstrate how a human services counseling skills course can be taught using Web 2.0 technologies. Most of the focus will be on two synchronous applications: 3-D virtual worlds and web conferencing. Implications for educators and recommendations for future research are provided.     

Exploring the Design of Financial Counseling for Mortgage Borrowers in Default

This paper analyzes the effects of counseling provided to borrowers in mortgage default (n = 299). Borrowers receiving more hours of counseling perceive counseling more favorably than those receiving fewer hours of counseling. Using measures of marketing efforts to instrument counseling time confirms the positive effect of counseling duration on borrower ratings of counseling. Borrowers are more likely to attend additional counseling sessions after receiving face-to-face counseling as opposed to telephone counseling, although preference among modes can largely be explained by time in counseling. Each additional hour of counseling reduces the marginal probability of a borrower moving to a more severe stage of foreclosure. Counseling could be more successful if provided for longer durations regardless of the delivery mode.

A Preliminary Comparison of Online and Face-to-Face Process Groups

The outcomes of student-led, student-participant experiences in both Google Hangout and face-to-face groups in graduate-level counseling courses are compared using process- and experience-oriented measures. Overall, participants assessed face-to-face groups as superior on measures of presence, cohesiveness, safety, and delivery method. Implications for the counseling field are discussed.     

Coping and Regulating Emotions: A Pilot Study of a Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Delivered in a College Counseling Service

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of a pilot program, aimed at treating college students with borderline personality disorder (BPD) using short-term, modified group dialectical behavior therapy at an Australian college counseling service (CCS). Participants: Seventeen enrolled college students aged between 18 and 28 (76.5% female), with a diagnosis of BPD completed the program between November 2009 and November 2010. Methods: Participants attended 8 2-hour group therapy sessions, held at the CCS during semester. Participants were assessed for levels of depression, anxiety, BPD traits, and coping strategies, at commencement and completion of the program. Results: There was a reduction in symptoms of depression and BPD traits, and an increase in adaptive coping skills, including problem solving, and constructive self-talk. There was no reduction in anxiety. Conclusions: The findings indicate promise for short-term treatment of college students with BPD. Implications and limitations are discussed, with emphasis on replication with a control group.     

Vocational Training in Juvenile Detention: A Call for Action

Given high recidivism rates and the vulnerability of detained youth, the authors posit that juvenile detention centers may be most efficacious by serving as both place and process to create career opportunity through vocational training. The authors review the psychosocial factors contributing to delinquency and the primary theories of rehabilitation that extend to detained youth. They highlight key ingredients to effective vocational programming in juvenile detention, such as integration of traditional career theories with constructs pertinent to this population (emerging adulthood, sociopolitical development, social cognitive career theory). Considerations for successful implementation of vocational programs in juvenile detention are also offered.