Counselling by Telephone

Challenging the view that telephone counseling is a poor way to counsel patients, Counseling by Telephone contends that for certain clients this may be the therapeutic medium of choice. This supportive, instructive, and highly practical volume explores the essential skills needed to carry out effective telephone counseling--how to welcome and establish a relationship with the client, listening and responding, understanding silences, working with transference and fantasy, and recognizing and reacting to feelingsùwhich are often very distinct from those involved in face-to-face counseling. Author Maxine Rosenfield goes on to examine the benefits to both client and counselor of working by telephone, and highlights the technical and practical issues that are important for the counselor to be aware of when engaging in telephone counseling. Other chapters address issues such as group counseling by phone and counseling by other media, such as by e-mail and by letter. Clearly written, informative, and practical, Counseling by Telephone will be extremely useful for trainees, practicing counselors, and for those in the helping professions who want to work with the telephone and want to understand the difference between counseling skills and counseling on the phone.