Online Counseling Practice in a Psychosomatic Clinic

Abstract

Online counseling is provided through various non-face-to-face methods such as telephone, e-mail, chat, and video calls and it has been reported to be as effective as face-to-face counseling. Guidelines for online counseling call for specialized training and ICT knowledge, explanations of specific risks and benefits, protection of personal information, and appropriate handling of such information.

This paper reports the practice of online counseling in an outpatient psychosomatic clinic specializing in anxiety and depression. The provision of support based on risks and benefits has enabled the clinic to be able to flexibly accommodate patients’ international migration and schedules. While there is the advantage of being able to overcome the constraints of location and time, there are also issues such as ICT skill problems and difficulties in regard to nonverbal communication. In the future, it will be necessary to enhance various forms of support by taking advantage of the unique features of online counseling as well as to continuously improve the knowledge and skills of providers.