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<p>As most clients treated online counseling as merely one of the alternative ways to receive mental health service during the COVID-19 pandemic, its importance, effectiveness, and value for clients in the post-pandemic era deserve a closer look to establish online counseling as one of the primary ways of mental healthcare. The present study developed a new scale to explore the perceived effectiveness of online counseling from the clients’ perspectives. A total of 315 clients receiving online counseling during the pandemic participated in this study and completed the developed scale (62 males and 253 females). The psychometric analysis revealed that the final 10-item scale has high validity and reliability and includes three subscales: <i>perceived therapeutic relationship</i> (3 items), <i>perceived similarity in experience</i> (3 items), and <i>engagement in online counseling</i> (4 items). Results showed that older clients reported a greater perceived similarity in effectiveness between online and in-person counseling, with age differences observed only for similarity. Clients who continued online counseling and those who paid out-of-pocket reported higher perceived similarity and higher engagement than those who had discontinued or accessed free services. Findings from this study provide valuable insights for improving the quality and perceived value of online counseling in the post-pandemic mental health landscape.</p>

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Perceived effectiveness of online counseling in the post-pandemic era: Measurement validation and sociodemographic differences

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月30日

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  • Ya-Feng Hung

摘要

As most clients treated online counseling as merely one of the alternative ways to receive mental health service during the COVID-19 pandemic, its importance, effectiveness, and value for clients in the post-pandemic era deserve a closer look to establish online counseling as one of the primary ways of mental healthcare. The present study developed a new scale to explore the perceived effectiveness of online counseling from the clients’ perspectives. A total of 315 clients receiving online counseling during the pandemic participated in this study and completed the developed scale (62 males and 253 females). The psychometric analysis revealed that the final 10-item scale has high validity and reliability and includes three subscales: perceived therapeutic relationship (3 items), perceived similarity in experience (3 items), and engagement in online counseling (4 items). Results showed that older clients reported a greater perceived similarity in effectiveness between online and in-person counseling, with age differences observed only for similarity. Clients who continued online counseling and those who paid out-of-pocket reported higher perceived similarity and higher engagement than those who had discontinued or accessed free services. Findings from this study provide valuable insights for improving the quality and perceived value of online counseling in the post-pandemic mental health landscape.