Online counselling: Taking a virtual approach to serving client needs
September 23, 2002
By Nicole Zummach
For more than 13 years Kids Help Phone, Canada's only toll-free,
national and bilingual distress line, has been a trusted source of information
and assistance for children and teens. Now it is spreading its reach
a bit further with the launch of online counselling. "We were compelled
to provide service on the web," says Christine Simmons-Physick,
vice president of child and family services, "because that is where
kids are, and each new generation of young people is more and more comfortable
and familiar with this medium."
Remaining true to the organization's mission
Their new 'Ask A Counsellor' option allows young people to pose questions
online and anonymously to Kids Help Phone's professional counsellors.
Responses are then posted on the organization's web site where they
can be viewed by anyone. This service will in some ways replace the
many public forums that were previously hosted by Kids Help Phone. Simmons-Physick
says that after a time the organization was not really comfortable with
the online community that was developing in the forums and there was
a concern that users were revealing identifying information and using
the forums inappropriately.
After a lengthy research process, they came up with a new plan that
better represented their mission. "Ask a Counsellor provides kids with
an opportunity to ask a professional counsellor a question, which is
more in keeping with what we do," explains Simmons-Physick. "We also
felt there was value in kids having a chance to connect with each other,
however we wanted to be able to control it better." The solution they
decided upon was to host weekly online discussions where young people
could interact with their peers in a moderated interactive environment.
The weekly discussions are slated to begin later this year.
While Simmons-Physick sees online counselling as a natural extension
of the services that Kids Help Phone already provides, she does acknowledge
that it has its limitations. "We are not encouraging high-risk or emergency
[cases], it's not that kind of service. It's more for general issues
that kids deal with and we are very clear that if it is an emergency
they need to call us, or some other emergency number in their community,
by phone for crisis response."
For some organizations online counselling is a natural fit
Of course, Kids Help Phone is not the only nonprofit organization turning
to the Internet for client services. WORKink Alberta is part
of a national program of the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and
Work that helps people with disabilities find equitable and meaningful
employment. Since its inception in 1998, the program has offered an
online employment counselling component, and Trina Johnson, provincial
coordinator for Alberta, says that given the work they do, it's a natural
fit.
"It's very accessible to people with disabilities. For example, we've
counselled someone who is deaf and because we didn't need an interpreter,
the individual was able to speak for himself." She says another big
benefit is its geographic scope. WORKink assists numerous people who
are living in rural Alberta, offering not only online counselling but
chat rooms and virtual workshops as well. This allows people who might
otherwise feel isolated, to reach out and network with others, without
incurring long distance telephone charges or travel expenses.
Nothing can replace one-on-one counselling
The Alzheimer Society of Canada is another organization that
believes online interaction with clients is serving a need. "When [our]
web site was first launched, we conducted a mini survey of people who
sent us 'Ask the Expert' questions, and it was apparent that the profile
of people using the Internet, in general, and the Expert, in particular,
was different from people who may be attending a support group," explains
Barbara Snelgrove, manager of support services and education
for the Society. "These people want information quickly; they want accurate,
up-to-date information, and they want to pose their questions at a time
that is convenient to them." Since launching their web site, Snelgrove
says 'Ask the Expert' has seen continued growth in the number of questions
asked, and now averages approximately 75 questions a month.
Despite the fact that more and more people now turn to online sources
for advice and support, nonprofit organizations are quick to point out
that online counselling and other support services are mostly about
providing information and referrals. As Johnson says, "This isn't the
same as in-person counselling. You can't get into really personal and
in-depth conversations because you're not there. But you can connect
people with local resources that they may not otherwise be aware of."
For more information about Kids Help Phone, visit: www.kidshelp.sympatico.ca/en.
To learn more about WORKink Alberta, visit: ab.workink.com,
and to reach the Alzheimer Society of Canada, visit: www.alzheimer.ca.
If you would like to read other articles on this topic, visit the Online
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