Facilitating reflection in communication training
Experiences from an exercise in online chat counselling
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21495612 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nataliya Thell (0000-0001-5319-8426, Lund University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-8 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Work Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0261-5479 • E-ISSN: 1470-1227 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02615479.2026.2681019 |
| OpenAlex | W7162753201 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 12 |
Reflective practice serves as an important mechanism for developinginterpersonal skills in communication training. This paperreports on an online chat-based exercise conducted ata university in Sweden since 2021 as part of social work communicationtraining. The exercise responds to a growing demand fordigital communication training for future social workers and aims tostimulate students’ reflection on the skills required for online, text-based interactions with anonymous users. The exercise is structuredas a three-part session including (1) an introduction to online text-based counseling, (2) a simulation of anonymous chat interactionsin which students take on the roles of support seeker and supportprovider, and (3) a structured reflection phase in which studentsreflect on their experiences. The paper outlines the pedagogicalfoundations and design of the exercise and presents a thematicanalysis of students’ written reflections. Three main themes areidentified: the novelty of the communication format and resultingshifts in perspective; enhanced understanding of communicationskills required for text-based interaction; and increased awarenessof the affordances and limitations of anonymous online communication.The paper concludes by discussing possible directions forfurther development of the exercise
Computer-mediated communication · Online chat · Reflective Practice · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Digital Communication and Language · Social Work
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |