AUT - Online counselling Benefits and Risks

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Online counselling Benefits and Risks

This is very important information. You must read this information carefully if you wish to begin online counselling. It describes how online counselling works and provides important information about your privacy and safeguards.

Online counselling services are delivered based on your informed consent. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have read through the information in this document. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Online counselling does not provide a ‘crisis’ service. If you are feeling suicidal, you are advised to seek assistance from any of the following contacts
Online counselling lets you use the internet to talk through anything that is concerning you. Online counselling can take place via email or live chat. You may choose online counselling to complement face to face appointments, or you may choose to talk through any issues online only.

Online counselling suits some people for many reasons. Online counselling via email allows you to send and receive messages at any time, day or night. You can take as long as you want to compose your email, and reflect on what you’ve written before you send it. You may also feel less inhibited talking online than in person. Online counselling may be useful for you in any of the following situations, although this is by no means a comprehensive list of issues counsellors deal with.
  • Loss or grief
  • Organising your life
  • Anger, anxiety, depression
  • Conflicts
  • Addictions
  • Personal development
  • Concerns with sexuality
  • Changes and worries
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Stress
  • Trauma
  • Motivation
  • Unable to access a counselling centre
The focus of online counselling varies depending on your needs and relationship with your online counsellor. Counsellors are open to working with most issues and welcome the opportunity to work with you.

Alternatives to online counselling

Depending on your situation, there may be alternatives to receiving online counselling. For instance, you may wish to consider face-to-face counselling at Health, Counselling and Wellbeing (City Campus and North Shore Campus), treatment with your local counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist, or talking with a friend or family member. You may of course opt to do nothing at all. The decision is yours to make.

Registration

You register for online counselling using the online counselling registration form. Once you have registered for online counselling, you can expect to receive a reply within 2-3 working days at the most. Your online counsellor will work with you to negotiate the frequency and mode of communication for receiving online counselling services.

Online counselling is free for currently enrolled AUT students. Live chat is only available at limited times or by appointment. Instructions will be provided by your online counsellor should you both decide on this option.

You are free to ask for a referral to another online counsellor if you are not satisfied with your current arrangements. You can also request face to face sessions at any time during the course of online counselling.

Issues with online counselling

Online counselling and psychotherapy are relatively new innovations in the delivery of mental health services. As such, there are issues that are still being worked through at an industry level related to the provision of such services.

Communicating online can lend itself to misunderstandings in the absence of many of the non-verbal cues available in traditional face-to-face counselling or therapy sessions. It is therefore important that both you and your online counsellor pay special attention to communicating clearly with each other.

Important safeguards

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the safety and security of online counselling material (emails and live chats), vulnerabilities still exist. For instance, it is possible for third parties to intercept email sent between client and counsellor. It is also possible at times to misdirect your email message by failing to pay attention to the address of the person to whom you are writing.

We suggest the following guidelines for the use of email in online counselling
  • Use a personal or home computer - it is safer simply by virtue of the fact that far less people have access to it
  • Avoid sending/receiving emails at wireless (Wi-Fi) hotspots unless you are sure your connection is secure or you are prepared to take the risk
  • Make a point of double checking the ‘To’ address field prior to clicking ‘Send’
  • You may wish to consider requesting a ‘return receipt’ so that your counsellor acknowledges your email upon receiving it
  • Use a password for access to your computer and email account, and log out when you are finished
  • Ensure all security software (such as anti-virus and firewall applications) and system software updates are installed
  • You may also wish to consider encryption of your email

Online counselling offers many possible benefits

  • Online counselling may be more convenient if you live rurally or remotely
  • Online counselling via email allows you to send and receive messages at any time day or night
  • You never have to leave messages with intermediaries
  • You can take as long as you want to compose your email
  • You have opportunities to reflect on what you’ve written before sending it
  • You may feel less inhibited online than in person
  • You will always have a record of communications to refer to later provided that you do not delete your messages

Potential risks of online counselling

Online counselling is not without potential risks. Some of these risks may be
  • Messages not being received
  • Breach of confidentiality - emails can fail to be received if sent to the wrong address or if they are not noticed or inadvertently deleted by the counsellor
  • Confidentiality can be breached by hackers or internet service providers or at either end by others with access to the email accounts on the computers

Statement of ethics

AUT’s online counsellors abide by one or both of the following code of ethics Additionally, our online counsellors also support the International Society for Mental Health Online’s Suggested Principles for the Online Provision of Mental Health Services V.3.11. [Insert link: https://www.ismho.org/suggestions.asp]

AUT counsellors all undertake clinical supervision regularly.

Privacy

AUT University will abide by the Privacy Act 1993, the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, and its own privacy policy standards.

Information is routinely collected during the course of initiating and undertaking online counselling in accordance with usual counselling practice, and stored in locked cabinets in the Health, Counselling and Wellbeing centres. You do not have to supply any information you do not wish to. This process is entirely voluntary. Not supplying any information requested may mean you cannot access online counselling services.

We provide AUT with statistics on the online counselling service so that we can measure the effectiveness of our services. This information includes age, gender, ethnicity, and faculty and presenting issues. No personally identifying information is provided.

Health, Counselling and Wellbeing centres are located at

City Campus

WB219
55 Wellesley Street East
Auckland Central
Phone: +64 9 921 9992

North Shore Campus

AS104
42 Akoranga Drive
Northcote
Phone: +64 9 921 9998
If you wish to view information held about you in regards to online counselling, please contact:

Stella McFarlane
Practice Manager
Health, Counselling and Wellbeing
Phone: +64 9 921 9992
Email: stella.mcfarlane@aut.ac.nz

Access the online counselling registration form.
Last updated: 19 Jul 2010 10:28am

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