Telephone counseling
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221104852
2008-06-23T02:01:17Z
GregA
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{{Mergefrom|Crisis hotline|date=June 2008}}
'''Telephone counseling''' is a type of [[Emergency psychiatry|psychological first aid]] where a person communicates with the [[Mental Health Counselor|counselor]] via the [[telephone]]. Organizations providing this service may serve different purposes and employ different aids and interventions in serving their callers - they often act as a [[crisis hotline]].
Telephone counseling may be conducted independently of other therapeutic interactions. Many callers seeking telephone counseling do not have an active relationship with a counselor and use telephone counseling as a substitute for therapy. Some therapists provide their clients with the number of a [[crisis hotline]] to provide the client with an avenue to obtain support outside of therapy if they cannot be reached in an emergency or at the conclusion of a therapeutic relationship.
Not all telephone counseling is necessarily for personal therapy; in fact most other uses may be the main or secondary purposes: research, sharing, messages, gossip, friendliness, news or business.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
== Crisis hotline ==
Some countries regulate the use of the term "counselor". "[[Crisis hotline|Crisis hotlines]]" provide a similar telephone support service, and are usually not restricted to crisis calls.
The longer term "emotional support helpline" is sometimes used - which does not imply crisis or counselling, and can include email & messaging.
== Advantages and disadvantages over in-person therapy ==
Unlike other forms of counseling, telephone counseling is potentially free of certain constraining factors that affect traditional therapy, including [[geography]], [[time]], duration, and cost. It provides a degree of [[anonymity]] that is comforting to some callers and thus encourages disclosure.
Because the client often calls from a location that is part of their day-to-day life, calls often center around, or are interrupted by, situational pressures that the person is currently immersed in. This can have both positive and negative effects on the counseling provided; by allowing the counselor some insight into the person's situation, the counselor can be more objective. Conversely, the disruptions and pressures of situational factors may make it difficult for the client to adopt a reflective state or maintain full focus on the counseling session.
Because telephone counseling is usually provided by organizations staffed by a number of employees or volunteers, a repeat caller cannot develop a relationship with a counselor in the same way as in traditional therapy. Calls are usually limited in time and frequency, preventing deeper analysis and thus the use of therapeutic modalities that depend on it (i.e. psychoanalysis).
Unlike traditional counseling, either party may not have nor need guaranteed privacy; the electronic technologies involved make it difficult to prevent multiple phone connections, loudspeakers, or recording of the interactions. This fact may present a problem to a paranoid personality who suspects that others are monitoring his or her calls.
The academic research into telephone counseling, as it is currently practiced around the world, has yet to be done.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}
==Examples of telephone counseling services==
The [[Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines]] (VESH) is an organisation representing helplines in 61 countries. It has been formed by
*[http://www.befrienders.org/support/helplines.asp Befrienders Worldwide] (maintained by [[Lifelink Samaritans|Lifelink Samaritans UK]])
*[http://www.ifotes.org/welcome.html IFOTES - International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services], and
*[http://www.lifeline-international.org/looking_for_help Lifeline International]
Other telephone hotlines:
*[[New Zealand]] has a community-based, youth-oriented Telephone counseling service, [[Youthline]]. Based in 11 local centers around the country, [[Youthline]] enlists 1100 volunteers nationwide (100 of whom are working in an online context).
*[[Australia]] has a national Telephone counseling service, [[Lifeline (Counselling service)|Lifeline]]. Also, the larger cities in Australiah have other specialised Telephone counseling services, for example: [[domestic violence]], war-victims, youth, [[gambling]], finances, [[substance abuse]], parenting or [[child care]].
*The [[United States]] has a government-funded [[suicide prevention]] hotline called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which provides 24/7 crisis intervention counseling to suicidal callers. It involves thousands of volunteers at over 120 crisis centers nationwide.
*In the United Kingdom, well known helplines include [[ChildLine]], [[learndirect]] and [[The Samaritans]].
*In Canada Naseeha is the first muslim youth helpline.
*In India, [[Childline India Foundation]]: CHILDLINE "1098" is a non-profit helpline for children.
[[Quitline]]s are helplines that offer advanced treatment for addiction and behavior change. Quitlines should not be confused with centralized [[call centers]] offering advice in a wide spectrum of fields for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests.
== See also ==
* [[Crisis hotline]]
* [[List of counseling topics]]
[[Category:Psychotherapy]]
[[Category:Counseling]]
* [http://www.psychresources.net/phone_counseling.html Research on counseling by phone]