The term online counselling refers to computer-aided counselling that is mediated via the Internet and takes place interactively. The collective term online counselling encompasses a wide variety of interaction processes. Specific forms of communication are: e-mail advice, chat advice, advice in forums.
In terms of content, online counselling differs in terms of target group orientation, subject area (legal, psychological, pedagogical) and counselling concepts (specialist counselling or process consulting). Counselling presupposes a reciprocal reference between the counsellor and the person seeking advice (client, client, client, patient, etc.). Online counselling can only be spoken of if the counselling also takes place interactively on the Internet itself. This can be done as a stand-alone counselling process, but it can also be done temporarily before the start of an immediate “face-to-face” consultation (contact initiation) or between regular counselling sessions. As an interactive communication platform, the Internet also opens up new possibilities for consulting. Counselling institutions of a commercial-private nature as well as above all from the church and social sector as well as freelancers offer online counselling. In addition, the Consumer Advice Centre offers advice on consumer law and energy saving online, which is already being used by public authorities in the context of developing e-government.
A market analysis has shown that products with diagnostic or therapeutic claims have so far been rather rare among the apps currently offered in the categories “Medicine” and “Health and Wellness”.
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Practical Experience: Closeness Through Distance
Studies and experiences from the practice of online counselling show that, contrary to the initially assumed expectations, counselling contacts on the Internet are emotionally intensive. People seeking advice often describe communicating about problem areas that they would not confide in anyone on the phone. It is precisely this form of low-threshold service and the possibility of anonymity on the Internet that make online counselling intensive. This creates the paradoxical situation of closeness through distance, which is also described, for example, in telephone counselling. This distance means that socially taboo topics are addressed: sexuality, dealing with violence, dying, death and self-injurious behaviour. Those seeking advice from online counselling providers experience chat and e-mail communication even more easily than telephone conversations, as they do not even have to reveal their voice on the Internet.
There are considerable conceptual differences in this form of counselling: Many online counsellors identify themselves as a person by posting a short profile of themselves – sometimes with a photo – on their website. In contrast, there is also the concept that counsellors and those seeking advice remain anonymous. This online counselling concept is practised by telephone counselling with lay people and self-help organisations, some of which are volunteers, analogous to their principles on the telephone. The anonymity of the counsellors partly means that people with severe trauma also come forward who, according to their own statements, would not be able to reveal themselves to a counterpart with the usually shameful topic. On the other hand, there are also those seeking advice who specifically select consultants by photo and short profile. Online counselling therefore also differs in many respects in the psychosocial field: conceptually, in terms of presentation, in terms of the medium, in terms of the target group and in relation to the provider.
Advice From Other Freelancers
For some years now, freelancers have also been offering advice via the Internet. This represents an extension of the company’s own offering, because individual advice is a core task for many liberal professions. This applies to lawyers, doctors, notaries, tax advisors and auditors, among others. The insecurity of the Internet is a major problem for the liberal professions in terms of the relationship of trust with their clientele. As a rule, these professional groups are under a criminal obligation not to disclose private secrets. However, the publication of online communication through unencrypted Internet communication represents a contradiction to confidential conversations, which can only be solved by secure framework conditions such as mandatory encryption. More and more often, media-mediated sequences are being incorporated into a conventional counselling process. Thus, a client does not have to come to the law firm for every development of an ongoing procedure. Letter templates are exchanged and discussed via the Internet before further steps are taken.
