Technology is great, but present many ethical challenges for counselors. Presented at NCDA's CPI in Memphis, TN, February 2017.

1. Walk the Line:
Balancing the Pulls of
Technology
Deb Osborn, PhD
2/24/17

2. Agenda
• Explore how technology can enhance career
decision making and job searching
• Identify red flags of misuse
• Review relevant ethical standards
• Outline strategies to help clients and career
practitioners walk the line of healthy technological
use in their lives

3. Cool Tools
Self-
Knowledg
e
Options
Knowledg
e
Decision
Making
Self-
talk
Job
Search

4. consider
A client brings in some career test results from a free
test on the Internet. She is very excited about the
suggestion that she would be “matched” to being an
electrical engineer. When you ask about the test, you
realize it is a color test where the person is given a list
of careers that best match the color preferences of the
individual.

5. Ethical Concerns?

6. Ethical Concerns
• Purpose of the test, client’s need?
• Test quality – psychometric properties for online use
• Client privacy, confidentiality, records
• Qualifications of the developer
• Are clients referred to qualified career practitioners?
• Practitioner competencies

7. How might you proceed?

8. A better way

9. What about other career
assessments?
What ethical
standards need
to be
considered?

10. Section e:
Evaluation, Assessment & Interpretation
• Assessment – valid, reliable
• Competence to use/interpret assessment
instruments
• Informed consent in assessment
• Cultural sensitivity
• Instrument selection,
administration, interpretation

11. Options knowledge
• Consider: A 19-year-old college
sophomore is in the process of making an
occupational decision that will impact her
selection of courses in her accounting
major.
• Where might you direct her?

12. Options knowledge

13. Examples of Socially-constructed career
information

15. Career information literacy
• Recognize that career information is needed, followed
by the capacity to locate, evaluate, and effectively use
the information.
• Evaluating - a core element of digital literacy. Involves
capacity to:
• Understand the nature of career information online,
• Analyze the origins of the career information, and
• Consider the usefulness of the career information
• We have a responsibility to teach individuals and clients to
be critical consumers of all information.

16. Apps
• A client wants to focus on career decision making.
Her counselor is a great fan of the app, Unstuck,
and believes it will be helpful in the process.
Ethical concerns & strategies?

17. Ethical concerns
• Does it work for the intended concern?
• Privacy/confidentiality
• Time involved for training?
• Career provider competence in using the app
• Cultural considerations
• Imposing values-recommendations can impact
relationship
• Consider that these apps could be considered telehealth.

18. strategies
• Contact app developer
• HIPPA complaint for data collection, storage, sharing?
• Advise client on potential security risks
• how to protect privacy
• how to lock mobile device
• how to erase data if device is stolen
• how to handle requests from apps for permissions to share
information, access private information, etc.
• Use/recommend apps that have privacy protections
• Remember recommendations can have repercussions on the
relationship.

19. Online service delivery
• A career practitioner has decided to extend their services
through providing on-line career advising.
• A currently unemployed individual reaches out via email and
says:
• “There’s a job fair coming up, and I’d like to go to it, but I’m very
introverted and nervous about going up to employers and
selling myself to them. I get really nervous that I’m going to say
something stupid. I get so overwhelmed that I stumble all over
my words and turn red. Can you help me?”
• Potential client issues?
• Ethical issues?

20. Ethical issues (section f)
• Knowledge & Competency, Laws & Statutes, Outside Assistance
• Informed Consent, Disclosure, Confidentiality & Security
• Client Verification
• Providing Online Services-Benefits/Limitations, Boundaries,
Technology-Assisted Services, Access, Communication Differences
in Electronic Media, Using Assessments in Electronic Media
• Records
• Web Maintenance &Technology Development
• Social Media
Providing Career Services Online,
Technology, & Social Media

21. What if?
You are here
Client is here

22. What does the law say?
• Most say that counseling
takes place where the client
is.
• Check with licensing board
of your client’s state!

23. For What?
• Rules and regulations
• How do they differ from your state?
• Must you be licensed in the client’s state?

24. For example, disclosure
laws of
Washington
Colorado
Washington
Colorado

25. Wisconsin vs. Colorado
• Who: Certified counselors
and certified advisors
• When: Prior to starting
• Who: every unlicensed
psychotherapist, licensee,
certificate holder, or
registrant
• When: During initial client
contact
Wisconsin Colorado

28. Distance Counseling
Considerations
• Who is the client?
• What do I charge? How will I charge?
• What services do I provide? Backup plan for tech
failures?
• How will I screen?
• Policy on serving those outside my state
• How do I protect confidentiality/privacy?
• How do I evaluate my services?
• Distance Credentialed Counselor: http://www.cce-
global.org/DCC

29. Specific Strategies?
“There’s a job fair coming up, and I’d like to go to it,
but I’m very introverted and nervous about going up to
employers and selling myself to them. I get really
nervous that I’m going to say something stupid. I get
so overwhelmed that I stumble all over my words and
turn red. Can you help me?”

30. Ethical concerns with the
strategies?
• Cultural sensitivity
• B6-Records and Documentation-creating,
maintaining, storing, disposing
• Counselor competency

31. What if?
During the conversation, the client becomes very
upset and threatens to commit suicide?

32. Ethical standards to keep
in mind
• B1. Respecting Client Rights
• Confidentiality/privacy, diversity considerations,
exceptions
• B3: Information shared with others
• Treatment teams, confidential settings, transmitting
confidential information
• B5-Cilents lacking capacity to give informed consent
• B6-Records and Documentation-creating,
maintaining, storing, disposing
SECTION B: Confidentiality, Privileged Communication, & Privacy

33. Red flags of misuse?

34. Red flags of misuse
• Pre-occupied with thoughts about being online
• Need to spend more time online to get the same level of satisfaction
• Staying online longer than intend; lying about online use
• Withdrawal symptoms when attempting to cut back
• Use technology as an escape
• Pressured to respond immediately to the smartphone
• Constant checking even when there is no indication of a ring/vibrate
(phantom)
• Neglecting face-to-face relationships; prefer virtual world to real world
• Ignoring activities/hobbies previously enjoyed
• Changes in mood, motivation, attitude; anxious when away from device

35. Strategies for a healthy
balance?

36. Strategies for a healthy
balance
• Honestly evaluate online use. Consider a behavior chart for a week.
• Identify the triggers for use & build other coping skills.
• Boredom, stress/anxiety, escape, loneliness
• Identify and restructure the underlying thoughts
• Challenge, alter, change (cognitive restructuring)
• Discuss/set boundaries
• Don’t have to respond to every notification immediately
• Set distinct times/places/# of times for responding to emails/checking
SM..
• Consider removing social media apps so they can only be checked at a
computer.
• Strengthen face-to-face relationships. Set aside time for these.

37. Challenge: How to Stay
Current

39. Strategies –
Google Alerts
• Daily alerts in email format
• Based on search terms you identify

40. Guess
which?

41. 10. Yelp
9.Quora
8. Tumblr
7. LinkedIn
6. P*interest
5. Instagram
4. Reddit
3. Twitter
2. Youtube
1. Facebook

42. Twitter Lists

43. Twitter Lists
• Read your favorite Tweeps
• Organize by subject
• Save time (don’t have to
scroll through hundreds of
posts or remember who you
ilke reading

44. Find People Who Love Technology
Tweeps:
@TechnologyTwins
@counselingtech;
@CareerTechForum;
@dsosborn;
@Melissa_Venable;
@PeterCarey NCDA Technology Committee;
Tech Tips
technologytwins.wordpress.com

45. conclusion
• Balancing technology use can be like walking a tightline
• As career service providers, we can model balance
• In our own lives
• In our decisions for using technology as an intervention
• Our ethical standards provide a support for us
• Our association and colleagues also provide support &
strategies

46. Connect With Us!
technologytwins.wordpress.com
• Deb Osborn
• https://twitter.com/dsosborn
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/debosborn
• dosborn@fsu.edu
• Melissa Venable
• https://twitter.com/Melissa_Venable
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissavenable
• https://www.pinterest.com/melissaavenable/
• melissa@onlinecolleges.net
@TechnologyTwins