Career Counseling Over the Internet

Book excerpt: This is one of the first books on the subject of counseling clients via e-mail. The author has taken the area of counseling practice and systematically reviewed relevant counseling theory, counseling ethics, and counseling skills in relation to Web counseling. The objective is to provide a practical text and guide for career counselors in online service. This book will be of interest to professionals in the field of career counseling, to graduate students of counseling, and to human resource management and outplacement professionals. The book begins by articulating issues in the debate on Internet counseling, giving particular attention to counselor concerns about ethical issues and the client-counselor relationship. Next, it details the 11 necessary competencies and skills for counseling professionals in general, translating these for use online, including the role of assessment, various electronic interventions, and the pros and cons of career counseling via the Web. Specific guidelines are offered for career counselors to implement online. The book concludes with suggestions for continuing research, as well as recommendations for counselor supervision, preparation, and training models as the field makes a paradigm shift. Framed into 10 chapters, 35 question and answer examples are interspersed to bring to life the actual experiences, themes, issues, and questions presented by a global clientele regarding their career development. Each chapter closes with discussion questions for practitioners to consider themselves or discuss with students in classroom and practice settings.