Abstract
In this paper, we propose an e-peer support system in order to realize an effective peer support environment through the Internet. In this system, the counseling between a client and a peer-supporter is performed using chat. The chat-based counseling has an advantage that a client can light-heartedly receive counseling in comparison with face-to-face counseling. However, non-verbal information such as facial expressions and tone of voice can not be transmitted in the case of chat-based counseling. Therefore, the proposed system has a communication function which can perform effective counseling even if non-verbal information is lacked and peer-supporter does not have expert knowledge about counseling. The communication function analyzes how client recognize persons and things which are related to the problem on the basis of the contents of remarks in the counseling. Moreover, the analysis result is dynamically visualized and provided to peer-supporter. An effective chat-based peer support via the internet can be implemented by this function. We construct a prototype system, and then confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system through experiment using counseling instance.
