It is generally recognised that counsellors providing online counselling should receive specific, and recognised, training to enable them to understand the issues relating to online work, and to develop their knowledge and skills for this medium. It is important to understand the differences between online and face-to-face work; the need for a robust ‘assessment’ process; to establish boundaries and challenges of online counselling. For online counselling work to be properly supervised, therefore, there is a need for online supervisors. In turn, those online supervisors need specific training/ qualifications to carry out their role. In a world that is changing and developing in terms of technological advances and the role of social media, counsellors and supervisors working online need to keep up to date with this means of providing their services. I have an Online Counselling Skills Diploma (OCST 2018) and an Online Counselling Supervision Diploma (OCST 2020). I am qualified to work with people online using webcam, voice only, Instant Messaging (IM) and email.
If you already work as a face-to-face (in person) counselling supervisor, with relevant training, qualification and experience, it is important to source recognised, approved training in online supervision. If you would like to train in online supervision but have not, as yet, completed any training in face-to-face supervision OCST (Online Counselling Services and Training) now provides a face-to-face supervision module, to those who meet the relevant criteria to become supervisors. This can be taken as part of the OCST Diploma in Online Supervision. OCST’s Programme Director, Jane Evans offers this diploma course and I am pleased to be working with Jane by providing the face-to-face module. OCST courses are on the ACTO (Association for Counselling and Therapy Online) approved list for online training providers. For further information about the courses visit OCST
For further general information about online counselling, the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO), which online counsellors and supervisors may become members of can be found here ACTO
online counselling and supervision 