Effectiveness of telephone counseling: A field-based investigation

The use of the telephone has become an increasingly popular mode for providing counseling. However, little is known about its effectiveness. This study is an initial effectiveness study on telephone counseling. Participants (N = 186) who bad received counseling from a telephone counseling service rated the effectiveness of telephone counseling and the quality of their counseling relationship. Generally, respondents indicated that telephone counseling was helpful for both global and specific improvement and that they were satisfied with the counseling they received. Respondents also rated the counseling relationship and level of interpersonal influence similarly to face-to-face counseling studies measuring the same attributes. The telephone counseling results are given in the context of face-to-face counseling data from other studies.