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The online counselling experience for children and their counsellors in Singapore
Author
Tan, Meilinda
Supervisor
Kit, Phey Ling
Abstract
The world has observed a rising use of online mental health interventions such as online counselling. Consequently, research has been employed to study its utility and efficacy. However, there exists a paucity of research on online counselling with young persons, as well as a lack of research of online counselling in Singapore. Hence, this qualitative research aimed to explore the online counselling experience with children in Singapore, in order to advance local knowledge on the motivations and attitudes toward online counselling, as well as the skills and competencies needed to ensure positive outcomes in delivering brief online counselling with children in Singapore. The researcher gathered data from transcriptions of audio-taped semi-structured interview sessions with six trainee counselling psychologists (CPs) who delivered brief online live-chat and/or email counselling sessions, as well as twenty-three children (9 – 12 years old) who received brief online live-chat counselling in Singapore. The data corpus was then analysed using Corbin and Strauss’s (1990) grounded theory qualitative methodology. The analysis produced 18 categories that explained the trainee CPs’ experience of delivering online counselling, as well as six categories that explained the children’s experience of receiving online counselling. The findings revealed that the loss of non-verbal cues was not detrimental to online counselling. In fact, it revealed that the trainee CPs and the children benefitted from online counselling as therapeutic alliances were established and that the children were empowered to solve their presenting problems after the online sessions. In addition, online counselling created a sense of anonymity online, which was deemed as advantageous as it served to enhance disclosure as well as psychological safety for the children. The findings therefore concluded that online counselling with children is useful in the Singapore context.
Date Issued
2017
Call Number
BF636.6 Tan
Date Submitted
2017