Online Counseling and Ethics: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

Authors

  • Metin Pulat Master Student, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Department of Educational Sciences, Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3547-3612
  • Funda Barutçu Yıldırım Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3630-1019

Keywords:

online counseling, ethics, evidence-based research, review

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to review empirical researches on ethical issues in online counseling. In this review study, research articles that collected data from mental health professionals and published after 2000 in psychology and counseling journals indexed in SSCI were included, while articles that did not provide evidence-based results such as commentaries and theoretical papers were excluded. Articles were searched in the Web of Science Database. Seventeen articles that met the inclusion criteria were found. The systematic review results showed that confidentiality, privacy, competency, crisis intervention, security, client verification, risk assessment, boundary issues, and insurance problem were the ethical issues that practitioners faced in online counseling. Results indicated that confidentiality is the primary concern perceived by mental health professionals, and the risk of maintaining confidentiality increases in online counseling. Privacy and competency-related issues are the second ethical considerations addressed by practitioners in online counseling. On some occasions, crisis intervention is more challenging in online counseling due to physical distance and not being in the same place with the client. Security tends to be a unique concern for online counseling, and client verification is more likely to be an ethical issue in online counseling as compared to face-to-face practices. Moreover, assessing risks in online counseling is also challenging. Setting appropriate professional boundaries in online counseling is not easy as in face-to-face counseling because clients expect more comfortable conditions and flexibility in scheduling. Insurance coverage for malpractice risks in online counseling is considered a problem as well. To conclude, ethical issues in online counseling tend to be more challenging to handle than face-to-face counseling. Clear, detailed, and comprehensive ethical rules and guidelines are needed, and examining evidence-based research is essential for mental health professionals and associations to determine ethical considerations in online counseling to adjust more efficient practices.

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Published

2021-12-30

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Articles