About this workshop

•  You may already be working online as a counsellor, or considering offering a counselling service online.

•  You may find that clients are already contacting you by email, perhaps because they are away for a time and can't attend their normal scheduled face to face session and you would like to respond to them therapeutically by email but are not sure how.

•  Or you may be sceptical about counselling online, doubtful if an appropriate relationship can be formed just through text. This workshop hopes to change your mind.

This workshop introduces you to the online working environment and shows you (experientially) how an online relationship can be built through email contact.

Workshop Aims

The aims of this workshop are to:

•  introduce you to different email styles

•  encourage you to try out different ways of laying out emails

•  offer you an experience of working online as a counsellor

•  offer you an opportunity to make contact with other professionals who are also considering working online

•  offer you an opportunity to develop new skills which can be added to your existing counselling skills

•  offer you an opportunity to take part in an online learning group

Workshop Outcomes

By the end of this workshop you will have:

•  received and sent ‘counselling' emails using different styles of layout

•  considered different ways of responding to client emails

•  considered different examples of emails and worked as a group on a response

•  experienced working online as a counsellor using email

•  considered how your current therapeutic counselling skills might be used online in emails

•  heard how other members of the group communicate online as counsellors by email

•  taken part in an online learning group with others whom you haven't met face to face

What is an online learning group?

Our groups work together online by communicating over the internet. We type our communications and send them to each other either by email (which can sometimes take a few minutes to deliver) or more instantly using a text chatscreen in our private online classroom (where you can also both see and hear the tutor, providing you have your computer's speakers turned on). [ One week before the Workshop begins we suggest all members visit our demo classroom to familiarise themselves with its facilities and in particular to discover and try out the chatscreen.]

If you are unfamiliar with chatscreens and would like to have an individual 10 mins. session during the week before the workshop begins, please contact Gill Jones by clicking here.

What equipment will I need?

You will need:

A computer which is connected to the internet.   If you want to talk and be seen by other workshop members you may also like to switch on your webcam and wear your audio headset but this is neither necessary nor obligatory if you are taking part. You will need to have your computer's speakers turned on to hear the tutor.

Who is this Workshop for?

Any counsellor or psychotherapist who would like to explore how the internet might be used as a vehicle for working with clients who are online and who would like to experience being a member of an online learning group.

What technology skills will I need? It is helpful if you are a reasonably confident typist and familiar with your computer's software for internet communications (e.g. email program and Messenger or other chat program). Our online classroom can be accessed during the times of the workshop, and afterwards if you want to hear a complete recording, but there is a demonstration area where you can take familiarise yourself with its features at any time. The URL (web address) for the demonstration area is: http://flashmeeting.open.ac.uk

The Workshop requires you to move between different programs – your email Inbox, the online classroom - and your computer's Word program. We believe this will be easiest if you minimise those programs you are not working in, keeping them open on your taskbar and your computer connected to the internet. You may need to check your internet service provider's ‘rules' for your connection. If they automatically disconnect you after a period of time, please make sure you do disconnect periodically during the morning so that they won't time you out.

During the day you will be working in three ways:

1. On your own using your computer's word program;

2. Receiving and sending emails from your email program;

3. In the online classroom with the whole workshop group.

What counselling skills do I need?

During the workshop we ask you to write and share email counselling responses with other workshop members. Whatever your level of face to face training and experience (beginner or experienced counsellor) you will have a similar level of online counselling skills to other members of the workshop.

When does it start? The workshop is held in two sessions. Session 1 is held on 5th October, session 2 is held on Sunday 6th October. Each session will begin at 0930 hours (British Summer Time) and end at 1300 hours.

How do I join this workshop? You can complete and send your application online by clicking here

If you have a question email Gill Jones by clicking here

Example Timetable

Session 1

0930 Online registration in classroom - looking around

0945 Introducing ourselves

1015 Agreeing our Contract

1030 “Working online with emails” ( powerpoint )

1045 Questions

1100 BREAK

1115 Groupwork - an email response

1145 “the ‘ideal' email reply” ( powerpoint )

1150 Individual work - responding to an email

1220 Sharing thoughts/observations about task with Workshop group

1240 Observations/thoughts/reflections on Session 1

1300 End of Session 1

Session 2

0930 Online registration + questions/further thoughts from yesterday

0945 Further ways of working by email ( powerpoint )

1015 Questions observations and reflections/experiences

1045 BREAK

1100 Individual work - writing a brief email as client

1130 Responding to client

1200 Sharing with workshop group

1235 “summary of learning” (powerpoint)

1245 Plenary - where are we now? where next?

1300 End of Workshop