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Is Tele-counseling effective?
Absolutely. Extensive research has been conducted on tele-counseling and the results are overwhelmingly positive. In the most significant study to date, Reese, et al. [1] found that telephone counseling was as effective as face-to-face counseling for a wide range of problems. Further, many clients were even more satisfied with tele-counseling because of the improved confidentiality, convenience, and continuity of sessions (i.e. it was easier to keep appointments and therefore, keep the flow going).
What about not being able to see your client`s facial expressions or body language?
Despite the loss of facial cues, a large percentage of non-verbal communication is comprised of tones-of-voice, specific word choice, pauses and vocalizations ("um," "ah," etc.), and other non-verbal cues that a tele-counselor has been trained to recognize and effectively interpret. Research on tele-counseling shows that in the absence of visual cues, clients and therapists find many other ways (both verbal and non-verbal) to avoid misunderstandings and to effectively communicate subtle shifts in emotion and meaning.
Remember, for the first 100 years of psychology's history, therapists positioned clients facing away from the therapist specifically to enable clients to more easily share personal information without fear or embarrassment. Under certain circumstances, facial expressions can be more of a hindrance than a help.
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