Earlier this year I went to the annual meeting of OLT directors and tutors in Bristol for the very first time. I was just about to start as a new tutor for the Online Counselling Diploma. At the meeting we were all asked if we would like to contribute to the OLT blog and it was suggested that we could each take a month. Of course I agreed, at the same time wondering what on earth I could possibly write about that would be of interest. I signed up for ‘August’, feeling somewhat like a Calendar girl but thankfully without the photos.
So here we are – this is it, August – my month. Part 1 of the Diploma is over and not only have the students been learning but so have I. Each student brings his or her own particular interest and knowledge to the group. So whatever the discussion topic when we come together for our weekly online meeting, be it about working safely, different platforms, ethical considerations, the online relationship or cultural diversity, we are all learning.
At the last meeting of term our online group were logging in from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and the UK. It felt so exciting to be connecting in this way.
Like many people, I am intrigued about how we are perceived when we are using only text online. Personally, I would like to appear friendly, approachable, with a sense of humour and yet professional. But how well do I achieve this? How well does anyone achieve the image they would like to portray? Is it possible to be completely congruent online? Does humour come across in the way it was intended, as funny rather than sarcastic or silly? How can we manage to get it just right? Is our usual persona more acceptable when we are face-to-face? Or do we need to tone it down when online? So many questions that we can’t always answer.
People can appear to be quite different online to how they are in real life. Shy people might come across as confident and open, perhaps because they are ‘unseen’. The ‘disinhibition effect’ (John Suler, http://truecenterpublishing.com/psycyber/disinhibit.html) may play a part in this. A normally anxious person could appear to be calm and controlled. Or alternatively, as terse and possibly aggressive, depending upon how they express themselves.
By having training in working online and meeting with others online, it gives students a chance to practice these relational skills in a safe environment. By the end of the Diploma and the 24 1½-hour meetings, each student will have gained some insight into what feels acceptable and what traits perhaps should be avoided. An interesting topic I think, and one that merits discussion and more research.
Babs McDonald, OLT tutor
onlinetrainingforcounsellors 