Online psychological counseling has advantages and disadvantages
Our reporter Yan Lixin
In today's society, life is fast-paced and competitive, and people are increasingly experiencing psychological and behavioral abnormalities such as nervousness, anxiety, depression, fear, and compulsion. In contrast, there is an obvious lack of opportunities and channels that can relax people and vent their bad emotions. In recent years, with the popularization of mental health education, psychological counseling has been accepted by more people, and online psychological counseling has gradually entered the public eye.
National Psychology Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Huang Zheng, associate professor at the Health Assessment and Development Center, said that in recent years, riding on the boom of the Internet, more and more people are choosing online psychological consultation. Unlike traditional psychological counseling, which requires face-to-face communication between the client and the counselor, online psychological counseling usually uses video calls. In terms of settings and processes, online video consultation is similar to offline consultation: 1. Visitors take the initiative to make an appointment based on the consultation questions, consultant expertise, price and other factors; 2. Determine the time and method of consultation with the consultant; 3. Conduct an online psychological consultation session of about 50 to 60 minutes; 4. Pay the corresponding consultation fee (different platforms may use prepayment or postpayment). During the epidemic, due to health concerns, job instability, limited activity space, and reduced social interactions, more people suffered or worsened psychological problems and distress, and the demand for online consultation increased significantly.
Compared with face-to-face consultation, Huang Zheng believes that online consultation does have certain advantages: 1. Faster. For online consultation, you only need to prepare mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices and the Internet, and log in to a suitable consultation platform to make an appointment. This makes it easier and more timely for people who need consultation to get professional help. 2. More convenient. Compared with offline consultation, online consultation is less restricted in terms of time and location, which brings a lot of convenience to respondents who are under academic and work pressure. 3. Low cost. The main purpose is to save the time and cost of traveling between visitors and consultants. 4. Ease of availability. At present, the development of psychological counseling in different regions is uneven. People who need counseling may not be able to find reliable professional resources locally. At this time, online counseling may transcend geographical restrictions and provide them with professional help.
Despite the above advantages, when it comes to counseling effects, Huang Zheng believes that although online psychological counseling can meet basic counseling needs, it also has shortcomings. 1. Poor communication. During video communication, most of the gazes of the counselor and the client are focused on each other's faces, and they can only feel the information conveyed by facial expressions, eyes, and language. The counselor cannot quickly and comprehensively evaluate the client's emotions through body language. The real state, therefore a large part of the information is lost in video communication, which is not conducive for the counselor to adopt corresponding guidance or treatment methods. 2. Low trust. Consultants consulted offlineDuring the process, you can use some professional methods and influence to make the consultation process gentler and easier, so as to establish a safe, trusting and good consultation relationship with the visitors; while online consultation will significantly affect and limit the interaction between the two, which will be harmful to the visitors. It is difficult to establish trust with the counselor. 3. Privacy cannot be guaranteed. The vast majority of online consultations require the use of third-party video platforms, and there is a possibility that visitors' personal information and privacy may be leaked on the network platform or server. 4. Not applicable to family consultation. Generally, family consultation involves more participants and requires more complete interaction, while online consultation is more like a small meeting, and the consultation effect is greatly reduced.
Therefore, in the process of seeking psychological counseling, the seeker himself needs to weigh the pros and cons of online counseling and make a choice that meets the current conditions. Huang Zheng said that the role of psychological counseling mainly depends on the client's own mental health and personal wishes. If the client's overall functional level is relatively good, his motivation for seeking help and change is relatively strong, his attitude is proactive and cooperative, and he has relatively mature cognitive, thinking and expression skills, then the therapeutic effects of different consultation methods will not be great. difference. If the client's mental and psychological problems are serious, or it is difficult to trust the counselor, it is recommended to conduct offline consultation first. After both parties get to know each other and are familiar with each other, follow-up consultation can be carried out through a combination of online and offline methods. Achieve better therapeutic effects.