Online Services in Counseling and Helping Professions

Dr. Zalaquett's Online Services in Counseling and Helping Professions (MHS 6311) Website

Objectives

The objectives of this course are derived from the ACES (1999) statement of technical competencies for counselor education students, as well as the facultys agreement of other skills that are necessary for success in the program as well as the counseling field.

As a result of this course, students will:

1.0	be able to recognize the basic components of online counseling services;
2.0	learn the different components used by online counseling services, such as bulletin boards, online chat, dropbox, personal homepage, utilize proper netiquette, etc.;
3.0	effectively use common software tools, such as PowerPoint, MS Word, to develop web pages, group presentations, letters and reports;
4.0	understand hardware and computer-based technology, such as RAM, GIGs, etc.;
5.0	develop Internet skills;
6.0	be able to help clients search for various types of counseling-related information via the Internet, including information about careers, employment opportunities, educational and training opportunities, financial assistance/scholarships, treatment procedures, and social and personal information;
7.0	be able to integrate online findings into useful tools for clients (such as a handout, or creating appropriate homework forms);
8.0	effectively utilize the online library and related tools (searching for articles, journals, Mental Measurements Yearbook, etc.);
9.0	be able to subscribe, participate in, and sign off counseling-related listservs;
10.0	increase awareness of current discussions within the field about technology and counseling and future trends;
11.0	be knowledgeable of the legal and ethical codes which relate to counseling services provided via the Internet; and
12.0	be able to evaluate the quality of Internet information.

Approved by the ACA Governing Council, October 1999

These guidelines establish appropriate standards for the use of electronic communications over the Internet to provide on-line counseling services, and should be used only in conjunction with the latest ACA Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice.

CONFIDENTIALITY

a. Privacy Information.

Professional counselors ensure that clients are provided sufficient information to adequately address and explain the limitations of (i) computer technology in the counseling process in general and (ii) the difficulties of ensuring complete client confidentiality of information transmitted through electronic communications over the Internet through on-line counseling. (See A.12.a., B.1.a., B.1.g.)

1. SECURED SITES: To mitigate the risk of potential breaches of confidentiality, professional counselors provide one-on-one on-line counseling only through "secure" Web sites or e-mail communications applications which use appropriate encryption technology designed to protect the transmission of confidential information from access by unauthorized third parties.

2. NON-SECURED SITES: To mitigate the risk of potential breaches of confidentiality, professional counselors provide only general information from "non-secure" Web sites or e-mail communications applications.

3. GENERAL INFORMATION: Professional counselors may provide general information from either "secure" or "non-secure" Web sites, or through e-mail communications. General information includes non-client-specific, topical information on matters of general interest to the professional counselors clients as a whole, third-party resource and referral information, addresses and phone numbers, and the like. Additionally, professional counselors using either "secure" or "non-secure" Web sites may provide "hot links" to third-party Web sites such as licensure boards, certification bodies, and other resource information providers. Professional counselors investigate and continually update the content, accuracy and appropriateness for the client of material contained in any "hot links" to third-party Web sites.

4. LIMITS OF CONFIDENTIALITY: Professional counselors inform clients of the limitations of confidentiality and identify foreseeable situations in which confidentiality must be breached in light of the law in both the state in which the client is located and the state in which the professional counselor is licensed.

b. Informational Notices.

1. SECURITY OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR'S SITE: Professional counselors provide a readily visible notice that (i) information transmitted over a Web site or e-mail server may not be secure; (ii) whether or not the professional counselors site is secure; (iii) whether the information transmitted between the professional counselor and the client during on-line counseling will be encrypted; and (iv) whether the client will need special software to access and transmit confidential information and, if so, whether the professional counselor provides the software as part of the on-line counseling services. The notice should be viewable from all Web site and e-mail locations from which the client may send information. (See B.1.g.)

2. PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR IDENTIFICATION: Professional counselors provide a readily visible notice advising clients of the identities of all professional counselor(s) who will have access to the information transmitted by the client and, in the event that more than one professional counselor has access to the Web site or e-mail system, the manner, if any, in which the client may direct information to a particular professional counselor. Professional counselors inform clients if any or all of the sessions are supervised. Clients are also informed if and how the supervisor preserves session transcripts. Professional counselors provide background information on all professional counselor(s) and supervisor(s) with access to the on-line communications, including education, licensing and certification, and practice area information. (See B.l.g.)

3. CLIENT IDENTIFICATION: Professional counselors identify clients, verify identities of clients, and obtain alternative methods of contacting clients in emergency situations.

c.Client Waiver.

Professional counselors require clients to execute client waiver agreements stating that the client (i) acknowledges the limitations inherent in ensuring client confidentiality of information transmitted through on-line counseling and (ii) agrees to waive the client's privilege of confidentiality with respect to any confidential information transmitted through on-line counseling that may be accessed by any third party without authorization of the client and despite the reasonable efforts of the professional counselor to arrange a secure on-line environment. Professional counselors refer clients to more traditional methods of counseling and do not provide on-line counseling services if the client is unable or unwilling to consent to the client waiver. (See B.1.b.)

d. Records of Electronic Communications.

Professional counselors maintain appropriate procedures for ensuring the safety and confidentiality of client information acquired through electronic communications, including but not limited to encryption software; proprietary on-site file servers with fire walls; saving on-line or e-mail communications to the hard drive or file server computer systems; creating regular tape or diskette back-up copies; creating hard-copies of all electronic communications; and the like. Clients are informed about the length of time for, and method of, preserving session transcripts. Professional counselors warn clients of the possibility or frequency of technology failures and time delays in transmitting and receiving information. (See B.4.a., B.4.b.)

e. Electronic Transfer of Client Information.

Professional counselors electronically transfer client confidential information to authorized third-party recipients only when (i) both the professional counselor and the authorized recipient have "secure" transfer and acceptance communication capabilities, (ii) the recipient is able to effectively protect the confidentiality of the client confidential information to be transferred; and (iii) the informed written consent of the client, acknowledging the limits of confidentiality, has been obtained. (See B.4.e., B.6.a., B.6.b.)

ESTABLISHING THE ON-LINE COUNSELING RELTIONSHIP

a.The Appropriateness of On-Line Counseling.

Professional counselors develop an appropriate in-take procedure for potential clients to determine whether on-line counseling is appropriate for the needs of the client. Professional counselors warn potential clients that on-line counseling services may not be appropriate in certain situations and, to the extent possible, informs the client of specific limitations, potential risks, and/or potential benefits relevant to the clients anticipated use of on-line counseling services. Professional counselors ensure that clients are intellectually, emotionally, and physically capable of using the on-line counseling services, and of understanding the potential risks and/or limitations of such services. (See A.3.a., A.3.b.)

b.Counseling Plans.

Professional counselors develop individual on-line counseling plans that are consistent with both the clients individual circumstances and the limitations of on-line counseling. Professional counselors shall specifically take into account the limitations, if any, on the use of any or all of the following in on-line counseling: initial client appraisal, diagnosis, and assessment methods employed by the professional counselor. Professional counselors who determine that on-line counseling is inappropriate for the client should avoid entering into or immediately terminate the on-line counseling relationship and encourage the client to continue the counseling relationship through an appropriate alternative method of counseling. (See A.11.b., A.11.c.)

c.Continuing Coverage.

Professional counselors provide clients with a schedule of times during which the on-line counseling services will be available, including reasonable anticipated response times, and provide clients with an alternate means of contacting the professional counselor at other times, including in the event of emergencies. Professional counselors obtain from, and provide clients with, alternative means of communication, such as telephone numbers or pager numbers, for back-up purposes in the event the on-line counseling service is unavailable for any reason. Professional counselors provide clients with the name of at least one other professional counselor who will be able to respond to the client in the event the professional counselor is unable to do so for any extended period of time. (See A.11.a.)

d.Boundaries of Competence.

Professional counselors provide on-line counseling services only in practice areas within their expertise and do not provide on-line counseling services to clients located in states in which professional counselors are not licensed. (See C.2.a., C.2.b.)

e. Minor or Incompetent Clients.

Professional counselors must verify that clients are above the age of minority, are competent to enter into the counseling relationship with a professional counselor, and are able to give informed consent. In the event clients are minor children, incompetent, or incapable of giving informed consent, professional counselors must obtain the written consent of the legal guardian or other authorized legal representative of the client prior to commencing on-line counseling services to the client.

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

Professional counselors confirm that their liability insurance provides coverage for on-line counseling services, and that the provision of such services is not prohibited by or otherwise violate any applicable (i) state or local statutes, rules, regulations, or ordinances; (ii) codes of professional membership organizations and certifying boards; and/or (iii) codes of state licensing boards.

Professional counselors seek appropriate legal and technical assistance in the development and implementation of their on-line counseling services.

College of Education LIFELINE

A graduate information document

Policies are effective as of Fall Semester, 2008

(a summary of responses to issues most often raised by graduate students)

Note: The registration process for non-degree seeking students, and the application process for degree seeking students are two separate processes. One is in no way connected to the other.

Degree seeking applicants: http://www.grad.usf.edu/newsite/admissions/grad_app.asp

Non-degree seeking applicants: http://www.registrar.usf.edu/regurl/os/application

1) Validating Admission Students must take at least one course during the semester in which they are formally admitted to the University, (i.e. to degree seeking status), otherwise, they invalidate their admission.

2) First Day Class Attendance Graduate students who do not attend the first class meeting and who have not made arrangements with the instructor to miss the meeting will be automatically dropped from the class. (Effective Fall semester, 2008)

3) Changing Term of Entry Students who are unable to enroll in classes during the semester in which admission has been granted should change their term of entry by notifying the Graduate Admissions Office in writing. Students may change their term of entry for up to one year without paying another application fee, or reapplying for admission.

4) Transfer of Coursework from Another Institution Students may transfer up to twelve (12) semester hours from another institution to their USF degrees if: 1) the coursework has not been used to fulfill requirements in another degree, 2) the student has earned grades of at least a 3.00/B in the coursework, 3) the coursework does not exceed the time limits listed herein, and 4) the transfer of coursework is deemed appropriate by the students departments and the COEDU. Grades from transfer credit are not calculated into the students USF grade point average.

5) Transfer of Coursework from Non-Degree Status Students may transfer up to twelve semester hours (12) taken as a non-degree seeking student into their degree programs if conditions #1-4 above have been met.

6) Incomplete Grades - Graduate students will no longer receive I grades. The course instructor and student must draft and sign a contract that describes the work to be completed, the date the work is due, and the grade earned at the conclusion of the semester. The grade must also include the zero for the incomplete portion of the work. (For example, I/C) The instructor must file a copy of the contract in the department before the date grades are due. An incomplete grade not cleared within the next two successive academic semesters, including summer semester, will revert to the grade noted on the contact. I grades are not computed in the grade point average (g.p.a.), but the grade noted on the contract will be computed in the g.p.a. if the contract is not fulfilled by the specified date. In the event that the resulting GPA does not meet the required 3.00 to be in good standing, the student will be placed on Academic Probation effective the semester the class was taken.

7) Academic Standing Students must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.00 to remain in good standing in their programs. Students must maintain a 3.00 g.p.a. in specialization and a 3.00 overall g.p.a. in order to graduate.

8) Academic Probation Students who do not maintain the required academic standing will be placed on automatic academic probation. Please refer to the attached site for details: http://www.grad.usf.edu Click on Graduate Catalog, Go to Section 7 Probation or http://www.grad.usf.edu/newsite/policies.asp Click on Academic Probation.

9) Grade Forgiveness There is no grade forgiveness at the graduate level. Students who register for classes and do not drop them during the drop/add deadline will not have these courses deleted from their transcripts. Students who repeat the same course will have the grades from both courses computed as a part of their grade point averages.

10) Course Deletion/Drop Graduate students may have courses deleted from their transcript only if they were enrolled in the class through documented University error. The last week to drop a course using Oasis is the tenth week of the semester. The Graduate School will not process requests to drop a course following the tenth week of classes unless the request meets the criteria for one of the five exceptions noted by the Registrars Office . After the tenth week of classes, a Graduate School petition must be used if the stated criteria are met. The five exceptions are:

a) Illness of the student of such severity or duration to preclude completion of the course(s) as confirmed in writing by a physician (M.D.).

b) Death of the student or death in the immediate family (parent, spouse, child or sibling) as confirmed by documentation (death certificate, obituary) indicating the students relationship to the deceased.

c) Involuntary call to active military duty as confirmed by military orders.

d) A situation in which the University is in error as confirmed by an appropriate University official.

e) Other documented exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the student which precluded completion of the course(s) accompanied by explanatory letter and supporting documentation.

11) Retroactive actions - (i.e. actions that occurred in a previous semester) are not petitionable.

12) Course Withdrawal - . Students may drop/withdraw without academic penalty for the first ten weeks of any term, except for summer session. Graduate students must use a graduate petition to withdraw from a class after the drop/withdrawal deadline. Approval to withdraw from a class is unrelated to fee reimbursement.

13) Fee Reimbursement Fees are automatically reimbursed for approval of a course deletion. Approval is granted only when a university error can be clearly documented. A Fee Adjustment Form or a Refund Request Form is needed for all other requests for reimbursement. A Late Fee Waiver Request Form is used if a student wishes to appeal a late fee assessment.

14) Planned Program of Study The planned program of study is a document that lists the coursework that students will take in order to complete the degree. Any changes to this document must be formally reviewed and approved by the College. The document is not official until the signatures of the student, the advisor, the department and the College of Education Graduate Coordinator have been obtained.

15) Planned Programs Masters and Specialist students should submit their planned programs of study with the appropriate signatures the semester after their admission to the university. Doctoral students may take a semester or two longer to allow time to adequately formulate the doctoral committee.

16) Assignment of an Advisor All students must have an advisor whose responsibility it is to assist the student in determining an academic course of action, and in completing the planned program. Students who do not have an advisor should contact their respective departments to have an advisor assigned to them.

17) Graduate Petitions Students who have been formally admitted to the college should use a graduate petition for items requiring a petition. (The ARC petition is an undergraduate document.) Students whose standing has reverted to non-degree should use a graduate petition if the class is a graduate level class, and an undergraduate petition if the class is an undergraduate class.

18) Change of Program Students may file a change of program form only after they have validated their admission by completing a course during the semester in which they were admitted.

19) 4 Year Time Limit Doctoral Students A student has four (4) years from the date of admission to complete all coursework, pass qualifying exams, and be admitted to doctoral candidacy. A student has four (4) years from admission to candidacy to complete degree requirements.

20) 5 Year Time Limit Education Specialist and Masters Students A student has five (5) years from the date of admission to complete all degree requirements.

Other important sites for information you should know:

College of Education Website: http://www.coedu.usf.edu

Graduate Catalog: http://www.grad.usf.edu

COE Masters Handbook: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/gradhandbook/mahandbook/index.html

COE Advanced Graduate Handbook: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/gradhandbook/advhandbook/AdvGradTOC.html

Information verified as of July 3, 2008. Please check the USF Graduate Catalog, and the COEDU Graduate Handbook for specific details about these policies and for future changes