Witness Preparation & Support ________________________________________________ It is the position of the writer that online counselling with offenders may be a potential new service approach that could develop tutoring and student support systems. Online counselling and online mediation (electronic outreach) may assist some offenders in particular situations. Due to limited space the focus in this paper is on online counselling. For the purposes of this article online counselling will be defined generally as counselling that occurs through the application of cyber technology (American Counselling Association, 2003). The concept of online counselling has been developed through the American Counselling and American Psychological Associations. Literature is developing on the role of online counselling and its relationship to personal and social development. There appears to be a gap in the literature on online counselling and its relevance to offenders. Discourses about methodological approaches, and the implications for online practices with offenders in the justice system need to be developed. In this paper human rights, challenges facing offenders and the work of the British Open University will be outlined. The rationale and thinking behind why online counselling could be an important new service approach in the design and development of tutoring and student support systems will be raised. ________________________________ Many offenders need to have access to education, training and employment (Rumgary, 2001). Controversy seems to centre on role of online counselling, online mediation and even distance education. Similar to distance education/training online counselling and online mediation may occur through chat rooms, instant messaging, video conferencing, phone, fax and email (Barak, 1999; King & Moreggi, 1998; Munro, 2002, p. 6; Sterling, 2003; Trims, 2003b). Some professionals have argued that there is not a role for counselling that does not take place on a face-to-face basis (Munro, 2002b). Grohol (2002) states - Since the beginning of time, from Aristotle to Freud, pundits who believe they have some unique, specialized knowledge have criticized those who seek to break conservative, traditional models of treatment” (p.2) Professionals should not under estimate the benefits of face-to-face counselling (Fenichel, 2002). Nor should face-to-face counsellors diminish the potential role of online counselling with some offenders. Perhaps readers should move beyond the either/or dichotomy to consider the benefits of online counselling perhaps in some situations as an adjunct to regular face-to-face settings (Fenichel, 2002). Many offenders experience problems in living including problems in the community with such issues as substance abuse and domestic violence. 1) Tutoring and Student Support Systems
Perhaps tutoring and student support systems at a distance can assist offenders to graduate from institutions to the community and to develop pro social lifestyles. Offenders may derive benefit from continuous supportive services that are available to them at various entry points in the justice system. Mental health, law related and educational professionals could be in a position to reach out to offenders electronically in institutions and later on their release into the community. Offenders may be too intimidated to seek face-to-face help from formal support systems particularly when the staff are unknown to them. Barak (1999) mentions the benefits of Internet based interventions for clients who experience stigma, anxiety and who want to remain anonymous. Sunrise counselling.com (2003) suggests that women who experience trauma or abuse and shame may derive benefit from Internet based technologies. Offenders who experience problems in living may fear that they will be returned to institutions because of a relapse associated with substance abuse. The world can become quite a fearful place for offenders. It can be most daunting for some offenders to reach out for help and to acknowledge that they are at times vulnerable. Tutoring and student support systems can be offered to offenders at various points in correctional facilities and in the broader community. There appears to be a case for online counselling and online mediation (electronic outreach) to support offenders who study at a distance. Some students may struggle with content or process based challenges that can be associated with the curriculum and instructional delivery. This can contribute to students becoming frustrated with their studies. Mental health, law related and educational professionals can have crucial roles to provide comprehensive support services to offenders. Some offenders may need to be assisted to remain “arrest free” (National Institute of Corrections [USA] 2003). The CTI Training Institute of Canada (1998, p. xiv) indicates that Canada continues to overuse incarceration of offenders to limit and prevent crimogenic behaviour. The National Institute of Corrections (USA) refers to the challenges experienced by the State of Oregon when ex-offenders are released into isolated communities. In part due to isolation community resettlement programs for offenders are almost non-existent. Professionals that are available for offenders in isolated regions may be over worked, lack support and supervision. Fenichel (2003) indicates that supervision can be undertaken online through email or chat technologies. There would appear to be a role for supervision in the development of online counsellors. Online counselling may assist in managing and extending the virtual presence of the counsellor to assist offenders to be arrest free. Jenkins, Price & Straker, (1998, p. 13) suggest that research and programs that are developed to manage prisoners may be adversely impacted by policies and practices based upon retribution rather than the rehabilitation of offenders. To promote the public safety it is important for professionals to manage lethal behaviour and to assist offenders to be arrest free. At times these goals can be thwarted when mental health, law related and educational professionals are unable to meet with offenders in the criminal justice system on a face-to-face basis. The criminal justice system includes the law, law enforcement, the courts, corrections and related community agencies that offer counselling and mental health services. Online counselling may have a pivotal role in developing the public safety and human rights through the safe re-integration of offenders into the community (Roberts & Taylor, 1999, p. 9)663% of our women offenders are primary carers of children, it is a problem that needs to be addressed” (p.9) Morash, Bynum & Koons (1998) suggest that more than two thirds of women offenders in the USA are mothers of children under the age of eighteen years. Offenders often require health, education and training, access to law libraries and adequate space in correctional facilities. 2) The British Open University Keitch (2001) refers to offenders and states – "The British Open University (OU) provides a number of courses to offenders. One member of a listserv in the USA associated with distance education referred to the British Open University as being the "mother of distance learning". Courses offered by OU may include certificates, diplomas, pre-degree, foundation degree, undergraduate and postgraduate level studies. Ablitt (2001) states - “Women receive an individualized programme starting at their present level of knowledge, and are able in some cases to work towards examination certificates.” (p.17) The selection of programs is based upon the needs of the offenders and administration at the prison. The OU advises administration at prisons of the challenges that may be linked with particular courses. For example, some science related courses might require the use of chemicals or syringes. Some offenders who may have crimogenic behaviour associated with children may not be permitted to undertake child development related courses. Offenders may need to access course WebPages. Offenders may not feel they that have been given sufficient time to study in institutions. Offenders may experience situational and maturational conflict perhaps as a result of being prisoners who may be having mid-life crisis. At times Prison Governors may be the final arbiter as to whether or not some offenders will gain access to certain courses. There would seem to be key ways of being able to secure the Internet from being used by offenders for illegal activity. Instructional technologists could perhaps be engaged to block out particular sites that may constitute a security risk from computers that are accessible to offenders. There can be much benefit gained from instructional technologists, researchers, mental health, law related and educational professionals working together with disadvantaged groups. Through collaborative efforts that do not silence the voices of minorities the disadvantaged in civil societies will ideally be given an opportunity to access education and training initiatives. One member of a listserv focused on distance education in the USA commented that – “The academic community has within in it the knowledge and the commitment to study the new technologies, and use them to further teaching and scholarship: indeed, the history of distance education to date reveals that its leadership has come from within… There needs to be new creative partnerships between those who understand what it is to teach and research and those who know how to create and use the new communication technologies, and we might think together how such partnership might best work.” Partnerships and collaborative efforts should not silence the voices of minorities. Thought could be given to some offenders having access to the organisation’s Intranet or CD Rom technologies as a precursor to the Internet. The costs associated with training staff to have the appropriate level of expertise to monitor offenders who have access to the Internet may be prohibitive for some smaller organisations. Interestingly, OnlineCounsellors.co.uk (2003) provides a six-week course to professionals to assist them to develop skills and knowledge in the area of online counselling. It would seem in some situations offenders who are on minimum security may be more suitable than others to access the Internet. Some offenders may need to be granted leave to attend face-to-face residential schools as part of their studies. Staff at prison education offices may be provide crucial support to offenders to enable them to complete study programs successfully (Worth, 1996). Carefully planned tutoring and student support systems can be a potentially powerful part of a resettlement strategy for some offenders. Online counselling and online mediation (electronic outreach) may be important parts of tutoring and student support systems. 3) Online Counselling Offenders should be advised of the process associated with online counselling (International Society for Mental Health Online, 2000). Service recipients should be advised of the disadvantages and risks associated with therapy online (Munro, 2002b). Service recipients will ideally be informed about alternatives to online counselling. Fenichel (2002b) mentions that there are challenges with transporting traditional psychotherapeutic approaches to the Internet. Grohol (2001) suggests that although online counselling may have evolved from psychotherapy that it has developed a dynamic and form of its own. Online counselling has moved on from psychotherapy as originally conceptualised by Sigmund Freud and even the vision of Bill Gates. Mental health professionals are often under pressure to provide more services at less cost. Online counselling may be cost effective for some situations (Grohol, 2001). King & Moreggi (1998) state – “Today’s online professional may suddenly find him/herself in an arena where the written word is determined to be the evidence of the quality of one’s professional expertise and finesse. Voice tonality, pitch and timbre- all good qualities in face-to-face (f2f) and telephone communication – no longer apply where email and online conferencing are increasingly commonplace, actually preferred in many circumstances.” (p. 2) Key Advantages “ In the area of counselling, The Trident Foundation wanted to ensure that those people who live in remote areas, have limited time or who are too nervous to visit a counsellor’s office, have the opportunity to receive professional services via the internet.” (Trims, 2003, p. 1). Offenders may need to overcome challenges associated with transportation and time to meet face-to-face with counsellors in regional centres. Some offenders may derive therapeutic benefit through written communication and reflection. “Delivery of services by such media as telephone, teleconferencing and internet is a rapidly evolving area” (American Psychological Association, 2003, p. 1).Barak (1999) suggests that written communications can assist some service recipients to self-disclose and to express their feelings. Such communication can occur almost at any time and anywhere. Service recipients can often take their time to draft and to read communications to mental health, law related and educational professionals (Sterling, 2003). Through computer mediated communication service recipients may have access to multiple service providers in various disciplines at any one time. Service recipients who live in isolated and remote regions may be able to access counsellors in regional centres (Munro, 2002b; Sterling, 2003). Service recipients can access a number of supports through the Internet. These supports may include feedback from professionals, peers, information, training and education (Barak, 1999; Munro, 2002b). Professionals from various fields may be able to communicate effectively with others who may also be working online with certain clients (King & Morregi, 1998; Munro, 2002b). These fields may include psychology, psychotherapy, psychiatry, law and education (Barak, 1999; Munro, 2002; Rye & Rye, 2003; Suler, 2000; Sterling, 2003). The Internet can be a social tool that can help to develop virtual communities of members who may live in different countries and in different time zones (Geary, 2003a,b; King & Moreggi, 1998). Computer mediated communication (CMC) can help mental health, law related and educational professionals across the world to be informed about each other’s involvement with clients in particular situations (Munro, 2002b). Text generated through CMC can develop legal records that can assist in the courts. Fenichel (2002) and Munro (2002b) mention the benefits of online peer supervision to prevent or to lessen the effects of stress. It can be demanding for professionals to work with women offenders who may also be victims of domestic violence. Key Challenges Online counselling may not be appropriate when clients are intoxicated, suicidal, homicidal and/or when they experience extreme psychopathology. Not all clients will be able to express themselves adequately through text or are comfortable with computers (Sterling, 2003). Some clients will not have access to computers nor they will have the skills to work with technologies. It can be difficult to assess the client’s appearance, cognitive behavioural state and to confirm their identity without the benefit of face-to-face communication. It can be challenging to develop therapeutic relationships and presence without face-to-face cues (Sterling, 2003). Professionals will need to become skilled at assessing the emotional state of offenders through their writing, content and lapses in time. Without face-to-face cues with which to ground text miscommunication and mistrust may occur. However, emoticons can assist to develop the context in which the text may be grounded. Miscommunication can compound conflict that may be expressed through “flame wars” (Fenichel, 2002b). Email messages may be sent in error to unknown parties and confidentiality can be breached accordingly. Confidentiality can be enhanced through the use of passwords when logging on to the Internet and through software that encrypts data (Fenichel, 2003). To ensure best practices in electronic outreach it is important to develop ethical standards to inform processes and procedures (Barak, 1999). Some offenders experience mental health problems and may not be able to access counselling in any other form than online (Grohol, 2001; The International Society for Mental Health Online, 2003). There seems to be a case for online counselling and online mediation (electronic outreach) to support offenders who study at a distance. The development of electronic outreach can assist offenders to succeed in an often anti-intellectual culture that may exist in some correctional facilities and with their peers in the broader community (Worth, 1996). Offenders who study at a distance may lack confidence or become frustrated with their studies. Mental health, law related and educational professionals can fulfill crucial roles as counsellors and mediators to lessen conflict that can lead to attrition. In this paper the human rights and the challenges facing offenders and the work of the British Open University has been mentioned. The relationship between electronic outreach and broader tutoring and student support systems has been explored. 4) References Ablitt, F. (2001). The Women’s Probation Centre- An Approach that Works. In Fawcett Society (Ed.), Joining Up Services for Women Offenders at a Local Level. Report from the Gender and Justice Policy Network Seminar. London: The Fawcett Society American Psychological Association (2003). APA Statement on Services by Telephone, Teleconferencing, and Internet. USA: PsychNet http://www.apa.org/ethics/stmnt01.html Barak, A. (1999). Psychological Applications on the Internet: A Discipline on the Threshold of a New Millennium. Applied and Preventive Psychology. 8 , 231-246 http://construct.haifa.ac.il/~azy/app-r.htm CTI Canadian Training Institute (1998). A Primer on Community Corrections and Criminal Justice Work in Canada. Toronto: CTI Training Institute Fenichel, M. (2003). Questions and Answers for Psychology Students. Current Topics in Psychology USA: Fenichel.com http://www.fenichel.com/QAT.shtml Fenichel, M. (2002). The Online Clinical Case Study Group of the International Society for Mental Health Online. A Report from the Millennium Group. USA: Fennichel.com http://www.fenichel.com/OnlineCase.html Fenichel, M. (2002b). Online Psychotherapy: Technical Difficulties, Formulations and Processes. USA:Fenichel.com http://www.fenichel.com/technical.shtml Geary, J. (2003a). Online Counselling with Women Offenders. The Distance. Alberta: Alberta Distance Education and Training Association Geary, J. (2003b). Online Counselling for the 21st Century. Best Practices. Alberta: Alberta Distance Education and Training Association Grohol, J. (2001). Clarifying Definition of E-therapy. Best Practices of Etherapy. USA: PsychCentral.com http://www.psychcentral.com/best/best3.htm Grohol, J. (2002). Definition and Scope of E-Therapy. Best Practices of Etherapy. USA: PsychCentral.com http://www.psychcentral.com/best/best5.htm International Society for Mental Health Online (2000). Suggested Principles for the Online Provision of Mental Health Services. USA: International Society for Mental Health Online http://www.ismho.org/suggestions.html Jenkins, S., Price, C.J. & Straker, L. (1998). Developing a Research Question. The Researching Therapist: A Practical Guide to Planning, Performing and Communicating Research. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 21-26 Keitch, V. (2001). The Role of HM Prison Service. In Fawcett Society (Ed.), Joining Up Services for Women Offenders at a Local Level. Report from the Gender and Justice Policy Network Seminar. London: The Fawcett Society King, S. A & Moreggi, D. (1998). Internet Therapy and Self Help Groups - the Pros and Cons. J. Gackenbach (Ed.), Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal and Transpersonal Implications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. 77-109 Morash, M, Bynum, T.S. & Koons, B.A. (1998). Women Offenders: Programming Needs and Promising Approaches. Washington: U.S. Department of Justice Munro, K. (2002). Online Therapy Resources. Canada: KaliMunro.com Munro, K. (2002b). Myths and Realities of Online Clinical Work. Canada: KaliMunro.com http://kalimunro.com/article_online_therapy.html National Institute of Corrections (2003). Transition from Prison to Community Initiative. Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections OnlineCounsellors.co.uk (2003). Course Program. UK: OnlineCounsellors.co http://www.onlinecounsellors.co.uk/course.html Roberts, K. & Taylor, B. (1999). The Research Question. Nursing Research Processes: An Australian Perspective. Melbourne: Nelson, 23-36 Rye, J. & Rye, N. (2003). The Problems People Raise. Norfolk: eDotCounsellor http://www.edotcounsellor.com/problems.html Sterling, R. (2003). All About Online Counselling. Seattle: Wapsychiatry.com Suler, J. (2000). Hypothesis about On-line Psychotherapy and Clinical Work. Lawrenceville, NJ: Rider University http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/workinghyp.html Sunrise counselling.com (2003). What is Online Therapy? USA: Sunrisecounselling.com h Trims, L. (2003). About the Psychologist. Queensland: Proactive Coaching Net http://www.proactivecoaching.net Trims, L. (2003b). Profile. Queensland Proactive Coaching.net http://www.proactivecoaching.net Worth, V. (1996). Supporting Learners in Prison. In Roger Mills & Alan Tait (Ed.), Supporting the Learner in Open and Distance Learning. London: Pitman Publishing _____________________________ We are not there to tell you what to say in court related environments but rather to help you in clarifying your thinking. In this way the whole experience, although not necessarily enjoyable, can be extremely less stressful. If you can give your evidence in a clear and understandable manner and help the Court run in a much smoother and time efficient way then this will help the justice system to run more effectively. If it should be that you are concerned about or even afraid of the litigation process then please tell us and we will see what we can do to make the whole experience more comfortable for you. SEE YOU THERE Next Service: Employee and Family Assistance Previous Service: Information Technology
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