Abstract:
With the impact of technology, the time has come to address alternative ways to
providing counseling by integrating technology and using the Internet as an avenue of
counseling. This electronic form of counseling is called cybercounseling. The purpose of
this study was to explore counselor knowledge, opinions, ethical concerns, legal
concerns, and recommendations for implementation of cybercounseling in the schools
and to test a site to see if parents would use the site as a means of counseling and
communication with the school counselor. The researcher polled attitudes of practicing
school counselors to see what their attitudes were concerning the implementation of
cybercounseling in the school setting. The researcher gained insight in how to
implement this form of counseling in schools. A pilot website was implemented and
advertised to parents soliciting usage from parents and students at a rural, elementary
school in Southwest Georgia. The researcher found that little is known about this new
innovation and that a number of concerns expressed by the respondents should be
explored before the diffusion of this innovation is adopted. Suggestions to aid in
narrowing the gap of how to implement this innovation and overcome some evident
barriers were offered by certified professional school counselors. The interactive
website proved that parents and students would use it if one is made available to them.