Benefits of ICT-enhanced social work counselling ( Chan and Holosko, 2016) include strengthening the working relationship through continuity and enabling clients to process their thoughts and emotions ( Mishna et al., 2013, 2015).Įthical concerns related to informal ICTs include boundary issues associated with more accessibility to social workers outside of work hours, managing dual relationships, unanticipated contact and ‘friend requests’ on social media ( Fantus and Mishna, 2013 Chan, 2016 Barsky, 2017 Reamer, 2017 Ryan and Garrett, 2018). Moreover, the working alliance in online therapy has been found equivalent to that in traditional treatment ( Holmes and Foster, 2012). Formal and blended online therapies are as effective as face-to-face therapy ( Chan and Holosko, 2016 Erbe et al., 2017). ICTs have inevitably become a ‘significant component of the contemporary clinical landscape’ ( Reamer, 2015, p. Given the limits to face-to-face practice, among other monumental changes to social work during COVID-19, we discuss our findings in the context of this global pandemic. Building on our previous studies ( Mishna et al., 2012, 2014, 2017), the purpose of the current study was to examine social workers’ informal ICT use in four countries: Canada, the USA, Israel and the UK. While there is a growing body of research on formal and blended ICTs ( Wodarski and Frimpong, 2015 Cwikel and Friedman, 2020), the lack of research on social workers’ informal ICT use ( Mishna et al., 2020), indicates a need for research to address the ethical and relational considerations ( Finn and Barak, 2010 Perron et al., 2010 Mishna et al., 2012). Unlike formal and blended ICT treatment, informal ICT use lacks protocols and encompasses varying security protection. Informal ICT use ranges from practical purposes such as scheduling, to complex treatment issues. ICT usage is usually an adjunct to the face-to-face primary practice and typically occurs between sessions through email, texting, or social media contact such as friend requests or blogs ( Mishna et al., 2017). Thirdly, ICTs have permeated social work practice informally, in which the formal modality is face-to-face. Both the online and face-to-face elements are planned, structured and monitored by a practitioner ( Erbe et al., 2017). Secondly, blended treatment integrates online components, such as email/text message reminders ( Aguilera and Muñoz, 2011) and psycho-educational activities ( Luxton et al., 2011), with face-to-face sessions. encrypted email, Chat platforms) that is security protected, such as e-counselling/therapy ( Chan and Holosko, 2016 Luxton et al., 2011). First, as the primary method of service delivery, formal ICTs involve treatment offered through protocols with authorised software (e.g. ICTs had permeated practice in three distinctive ways: formal, blended and informal ( Mishna et al., 2017). Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, information and communication technologies (ICTs) had transformed professional fields including social work practice, globally ( Mishna et al., 2014, 2017 Berzin et al., 2015 Barsky, 2018 Reamer, 2018 Cwikel and Friedman, 2020). We discuss the implications for social work practice, education and research, and conclude that in the COVID-19 context, there is an even greater need for research, clinical discussion, supervision and policy on informal ICT use in social work practice. professional boundaries) and supervision in the context of restricted face-to-face practice. Given the current, unprecedented context of COVID-19, we discuss the meaning of our findings related to access, ethical considerations (e.g. The findings substantiate the ubiquitous use of informal ICTs in social work practice, as an adjunct to face-to-face treatment, across the four countries. The survey was administered through Qualtrics software among social workers across Canada ( n = 2,609), the USA ( n = 1,225), Israel ( n = 386) and the UK ( n = 134), and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Building on our previous research, our cross-sectional online survey examined social workers’ informal use of ICTs in four countries: Canada, the USA, Israel and the UK. e-counselling), social workers used ICTs informally as an adjunct to face-to-face practice. In addition to ICT-based formal services (e.g. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) permeated social work practice before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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