Tele-counselling: The Cog in Mental Health in the Aftermath of COVID-19

Abstract

The paper focused on telehealth as a cog in mental health in the post-COVID-19 period. A scoping literature review of existing literature,  reports, and data related to teletherapy and tele-counselling as well as tele-mental health interventions was made. This included an analysis of existing frameworks and interventions aligned to the same. Results showed that tele-counselling has penetrated the  environment and brough with it significant benefits to the profession. These benefits include are reduced costs to both clients and  practitioners, efficiency and bridging barriers between clients, environment and service providers, among others. Other findings include  data privacy concerns, addiction or dependence on technology and lack of human touch. From these findings, it can be concluded that  tele-counselling has demonstrated a progressive move towards meeting clients’ diverse and evolving needs. It also promotes a  personalised mental health experience. From these findings, it is also projected that many people may probably switch to a hybrid model  that combines teletherapy with some in-person counselling. However, it eliminates the social activity and physical closeness which facilitates establishment of rapport whose empathetic flavour is pivotal in healing. Permanently replacing traditional therapy with  teletherapy beyond COVID-19 could also add to feelings of loneliness and isolation that many people were experiencing during the pandemic. Therefore, a combination of online and in-person therapy may be a good long-term solution. Consequently, this study  recommends a hybrid approach as this would be in the best interest of both clients and counsellors. Another recommendation is for  governments to improve access to internet by all persons to promote the use of tele-counselling without challenges.