Online Counseling—Working Through Technical Difficulties

As people become more comfortable with the various forms of online communication, many therapists are finding that their clients are now more open to the idea of participating in online counseling. It can therefore be seen as a logical progression that as the quality of communication technologies available improve, more therapists are beginning to include these options as a part of their services. In addition to face-to-face counseling, therapists are now able to see clients using webcam, phone and chat rooms. Whilst the benefits are numerous, online counseling also poses a unique set of challenges and difficulties associated with the use of online communication. Whilst communication technologies have improved a great deal over the past few years, they are not without their limitations. One of the most commonly cited frustrations among therapists who offer online counseling and their clients is technology failure. Most therapists who work with clients via the Internet have experienced slow chat rooms, or webcam sessions where the sound drops in and out or the call disconnects of its own accord. This interruption in the flow of the conversation can be annoying for both therapist and client, making it difficult to focus on the issues that the client has brought to therapy. This scenario was experienced by Counseling Psychology Intern, Klara Jaeger during her internship at PsyShrink eTherapy & Private Practice. "Counseling clients online has not been without its challenges. Technology failure is by far, the most frustrating of these challenges. Concentrating on what your client is saying can be difficult if the webcam fails or the sound drops out. This stopping and starting often interrupts both the clients and the therapists train of thought, and it can be difficult to get back on track and refocus on what the client has just said.” Sometimes, it is possible to work through the technological difficulties. However, in the event that this is not the case, it is important to have a back up plan as well as a sense of humor when providing online counseling . Most clients are understanding when these situations occur, and in a funny way, sometimes these shared frustrations build rapport between therapist and client when both are able to negotiate a common problem. Luckily, as the quality of the technology and Internet connections continue to improve, these problems occur less frequently. It is also interesting to note, that despite these occasional technical difficulties, online counseling is becoming increasingly popular. Which can be seen as testimony to the fact that the benefits of online counseling, far out-weigh the negatives.