What kind of relevance do online tools have in counselling and therapeutic interaction with digital natives? 252 persons participated in the Therapy2.0-survey and answered the questionnaire.
Sample
- 252 persons from 7 countries
- About 80% female
- 1/3 aged between 41-50 years
- Wide range of years of experience from 0-25 years
- About 50% advisors, 42% therapists, 20% other
Usage of e-tools
- E-Mail (above 74%), Social Media (30%), Video Conference (27%)
- Service promoted by Social Media (about 40%): mainly Facebook (86%) and Other (35%) = Website, LinkedIn
- PC is the main hardware device (about 70%)
Experiences with e-tools
- More than 50% expressed a positive or very positive opinion towards e-tools in counselling/therapy, 25% have no experiences
- In case of rare usage of e-tools it is because it seems to be “too impersonal” (50%) and “not safe enough” (34 %) – NOT because they think that online counselling and/or therapy is not effective (12%)!!
Perceived advantages
- “Flexibility of place” (75%), “flexibility of time” (67%), “easier access for some target groups” (56%), “reaching new groups of persons in need” (52%)
Perceived Challenges
- “Lack of nonverbal communication” (72%), “not appropriate for all problems/topics” (63%), “potential misunderstandings” (57%)
8 most common problems of young adults
- Family problems (69%), anxiety disorder (68%), depression (55%), lacking skills for conflict resolution (50%) and communication (49%), learning difficulties (49%), alcoholic/drug abuse (42%), bullying/cyberbullying (40%) => Topics from both areas counselling and therapy
Needs & Expectations on Therapy 2.0
- Topics: “experiences of colleagues” (72%), “privacy aspects” (49%), “ethical aspects” (47%), “communication depending on the medium” (42%)
- Delivery: “as a collection of informative tools provided on a web portal” (64%)
- Interest in participation in training activities: yes (49%), maybe (37%)