Abstract
Today’s generation of youth and adults relies on communication technologies for entertainment, information, and social connections
and more and more, for personal help and advice. With cyber technology having permeated the ways in which individuals seek
support for a wide range of issues, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that examined practitioners’ experiences
and views of whether and how online communication has entered their face-to-face practice and of the implication for the therapeutic
work. Using qualitative methodology, 15 social work practitioners participated in focus groups and interviews exploring their
perspectives about the impact of cyber technology on their traditional face-to-face social work practice. The prevailing finding
was that cyber communication has dramatically changed the nature of professional relationships. This key finding was supported
by four major inter-related themes arising from the data: (1) client driven practice; (2) Pandora’s box; (3) ethical grey
zone; and (4) permeable boundaries. Implications for practice are provided.
and more and more, for personal help and advice. With cyber technology having permeated the ways in which individuals seek
support for a wide range of issues, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that examined practitioners’ experiences
and views of whether and how online communication has entered their face-to-face practice and of the implication for the therapeutic
work. Using qualitative methodology, 15 social work practitioners participated in focus groups and interviews exploring their
perspectives about the impact of cyber technology on their traditional face-to-face social work practice. The prevailing finding
was that cyber communication has dramatically changed the nature of professional relationships. This key finding was supported
by four major inter-related themes arising from the data: (1) client driven practice; (2) Pandora’s box; (3) ethical grey
zone; and (4) permeable boundaries. Implications for practice are provided.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10615-012-0383-4
- Authors
- Faye Mishna, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V4, Canada
- Marion Bogo, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V4, Canada
- Jennifer Root, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V4, Canada
- Jami-Leigh Sawyer, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1V4, Canada
- Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, 91905 Jerusalem, Israel
- Journal Clinical Social Work Journal
- Online ISSN 1573-3343
- Print ISSN 0091-1674