Online counselling via Skype?
Listening recently to radio 3RRR’s computer show with lots of helpful ideas about free software and a healthy open source attitude. They mentioned an article (Not knowing which one, I did a google search and came up with this one as an example of many) stating that the German Government is having trouble with decrypting Skype calls and that this may create potential security risks for governments. A challenge for goverments but helpful for online counselling?
I checked the Skype website and indeed they do provide encryption for chat.
As far as online counselling is concerned this is potentially advantageous from the point of view of ensuring confidentiality. It may be a challenge for those clients seeking anonymity, however there’s always the option to choose an anonymous user name.
The big advantage is that it brings both the telephone and chat mediums into the one environment. It allows easy adaption for new counsellors, the option to easily move between mediums and the potential for saving time in moving chat conversations onto the phone.
And increasingly we are seeing Skype used for educational purposes. Now all we need is a Skype whiteboard.
August 5, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Hello Howard, thanks for your thoughts.
Do you know of any institutions using skype over ordinary telephones for counselling purposes? I wonder what could be the benefits? Cheaper if the person calling has access to a networked computer perhaps? Internet telephones are certainly advantageous over long distances.
i think there might be some whiteboards for using with skype. They have some on the site, but i haven’t tested any. Would be good to find a comparative review already done somewhere.
August 6, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
Thanks Michael – i will look into it.