Children’s experiences texting with a child helpline

Torben Bechmann Jensen; Trine Natasja Sindahl; Jasmin Wistoft

doi:10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182

Children’s experiences texting with a child helpline

Torben Bechmann Jensen, Trine Natasja Sindahl^*, Jasmin Wistoft

^*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

We explore how children experienced texting with a child helpline, based on 724 qualitative responses representing 586 individual SMS counselling sessions. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed immediately after receiving counselling and two weeks later. The children expressed the importance of feeling listened to and accepted by the counsellor, gaining new perspectives or developing a plan of action. They also emphasised the importance of the counsellors being sensitive to their readiness for change by providing advice and directives when needed and a listening ear when that was preferred. Only a few comments concerned the medium of texting itself, indicating that the sense of psychological closeness can move the technology to the background and outside one’s awareness.

Original language	English
Journal	British Journal of Guidance and Counselling
ISSN	0306-9885
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182
Publication status	Published - 3 Mar 2020

Keywords

child helpline
mediated counselling
SMS
Texting
youth

Access to Document

10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182

Cite this

@article{9e63ea360f9a41fcb2c00dba602bb083,

title = "Children{\textquoteright}s experiences texting with a child helpline",

abstract = "We explore how children experienced texting with a child helpline, based on 724 qualitative responses representing 586 individual SMS counselling sessions. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed immediately after receiving counselling and two weeks later. The children expressed the importance of feeling listened to and accepted by the counsellor, gaining new perspectives or developing a plan of action. They also emphasised the importance of the counsellors being sensitive to their readiness for change by providing advice and directives when needed and a listening ear when that was preferred. Only a few comments concerned the medium of texting itself, indicating that the sense of psychological closeness can move the technology to the background and outside one{\textquoteright}s awareness.",

keywords = "child helpline, mediated counselling, SMS, Texting, youth",

author = "{Bechmann Jensen}, Torben and Sindahl, {Trine Natasja} and Jasmin Wistoft",

year = "2020",

month = mar,

day = "3",

doi = "10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182",

language = "English",

journal = "British Journal of Guidance and Counselling",

issn = "0306-9885",

publisher = "Routledge",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Children’s experiences texting with a child helpline

AU - Bechmann Jensen, Torben

AU - Sindahl, Trine Natasja

AU - Wistoft, Jasmin

PY - 2020/3/3

Y1 - 2020/3/3

N2 - We explore how children experienced texting with a child helpline, based on 724 qualitative responses representing 586 individual SMS counselling sessions. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed immediately after receiving counselling and two weeks later. The children expressed the importance of feeling listened to and accepted by the counsellor, gaining new perspectives or developing a plan of action. They also emphasised the importance of the counsellors being sensitive to their readiness for change by providing advice and directives when needed and a listening ear when that was preferred. Only a few comments concerned the medium of texting itself, indicating that the sense of psychological closeness can move the technology to the background and outside one’s awareness.

AB - We explore how children experienced texting with a child helpline, based on 724 qualitative responses representing 586 individual SMS counselling sessions. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed immediately after receiving counselling and two weeks later. The children expressed the importance of feeling listened to and accepted by the counsellor, gaining new perspectives or developing a plan of action. They also emphasised the importance of the counsellors being sensitive to their readiness for change by providing advice and directives when needed and a listening ear when that was preferred. Only a few comments concerned the medium of texting itself, indicating that the sense of psychological closeness can move the technology to the background and outside one’s awareness.

KW - child helpline

KW - mediated counselling

KW - SMS

KW - Texting

KW - youth

U2 - 10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182

DO - 10.1080/03069885.2018.1519182

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85053295704

SN - 0306-9885

JO - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

JF - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

ER -

Children’s experiences texting with a child helpline

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this