Singapore University of Social Sciences

The delivery of counselling and mental health care in distance formats is more than a phase or passing trend. It is here to stay. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the world navigates and accesses services. In Singapore, the safe distancing mandate and ‘working from home’ arrangements have limited practitioners’ physical contact with clients. Social service agencies and private practitioners need to be quick to adapt, bring their services online to ensure service continuity. Telephone and e-counsellors must demonstrate specific set of skills and competencies for effective online service delivery. COU260 Tele-therapy and Mental Health Care is for aspiring or in-sector practitioners who are currently practising in public domains or private settings. These include Counsellors, Therapists, Psychologists, Social Workers or professionals in other supporting roles. This 6-session course adopts a blended learning modality (mix of in-class and zoom sessions). It will be conducted over lecturing, class discussion, demonstrations and class experimentations. Assessments include written assignments and process recordings of the utilisation of an online platform or distance format of choice. In this course, learners will learn to identify online platforms and technologies suitable for their clientele or service types. Learners will learn to transfer micro-skills and therapeutic techniques to online platforms. Other key learnings include ethical considerations, challenges and mitigation strategies surrounding service delivery in distance formats.