Therapeutic Airwaves: Episode 7 - Fit for purpose? Online work inappropriate for some? A therapist or client decision on ‘fit’?

Making Waves for Online Couselling and Therapy Around The Globe

Therapeutic Airwaves is a regular fortnightly ‘live’ internet video and audio broadcast show where listeners can choose to participate either through text exchanges in a chat room or be invited to join the audio Skype group conference. This synchronous streamed videocast and podcast discussion centres on Online Counselling and Therapy. Participating audience may include interested online and face-to-face practitioners, trainers, supervisors, researchers as well as fans of psychology and therapy across the globe.
The fortnightly episode contains a discussion theme around online counselling and therapy. Participants are invited into the Skype audio discussion when they feel they would like to make a vocal contribution to the discussion. Each fortnightly broadcast will be recorded and make available as a videocast and podcast. You have a choice of just being the listening audience to the 'live' proceedings or interact with other listeners and the audio discussion panel in a chat room whilst the show is being streamed ‘live’. You too can elect to engage in an
audio discussion with the host and other participants. These levels of choice are interchangeable. You are also welcome to download the mp3 file should you wish to listen to the previous shows or go the site to view and listen to the previous videocasts.

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Autumn Schedule of 'Live' Broadcasts & Themes for Discussion

Saturday, 13 September 2008

Episode 7 - Fit for purpose? Online work inappropriate for some? A therapist or client decision on ‘fit’?

Show Guests: Dave

In episode 7, the discussion focus on a general assumption that online work is unsuitable for some clients e.g. it is often quoted that it would be inappropriate for those who are in crisis, or suicidal. These are stated without further in depth examination or evidence. How are inappropriateness determined and based on which evidence, evidence translated from face2face studies, if it is...is it comparable? And when we mentioned ‘online helping intervention’ do we need to qualifying specifically what type of online services may be inappropriate or appropriate and for whom. Are counsellors/therapists the only people to determined if it is appropriate or do clients/users have a part to play?. Given that there are various methods of helping underpinned by the various theoretical explanation for certain presenting problems/needs, client groups, gathered from the wealth of face2face literature, does it.. or should this efficacy be taken for granted and assume that it does translate itself directly onto the online environment? Should we question if there are any unique outcomes that is peculiar to online environment having a distinct advantage over face2face etc.

The above provide the framework for us to explore the various related issues and we started our conversation using the contents of an email forwarded by Sue Whitlock who unfortunately were not able to join the show but was keen to share her thoughts on the topic for discussion. This provided us with a starting point for our discussion.

You can contact me at chewalex@hotmail.com to leave your thoughts, views and opinions. You are welcome to leave your comments here. You can contact ACTO, the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online at http://www.acto-uk.org/

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