3.7 romania
Hereby are presented some limitations frequently encountered in distance counselling:
through: a) internet and through: b) telephone
a) Counselling through Internet (World Wide Web)
In this case, there is a gap between the waiting for the Internet products to ensure valid
solutions and the actual development of qualified guidance instruments.
From the user point of view, the Internet can be seen as a major instrument in obtaining
information, offering equal and democratic opportunities due to the fact that anybody can
put information on the web if he/she has Internet access and the basic knowledge required.
This means that an Internet user can access a much greater volume of information in con-
trast to the traditional media means. As such, citizens have more possibilities and options
to explore, and a higher level of comparison.
Because Internet is a cheap and easily accessible medium, generally uncontrolled, anyone
can create a website. Furthermore, it is also extremely anonymous, allowing the creation of
a website without giving any information regarding the creator. Websites with a very profes-
sional look can be created with very limited resources.
The website contents and standards are subject to a low level of control, in comparison to
the printed information, in which the costs of production and distribution meant that publish-
ers had to be very careful in selecting the information to be published: it had to be very ac-
curate / correct, up-to-date and qualitative in order for them to be able to justify those costs
in front of the reader. In this case, the readers obtained the guarantee of the quality of the
information through buying from acknowledged publishers and authors.
The possibility to publish websites with limited resources contributed to the great increase
in their number. On the other hand, some important question marks arise in relation to their
standards, accuracy and aims. If in the case of traditional materials, the investment required
for production represented a guarantee of their quality, the World Wide Web is not offering
such guarantees.
b) Telephone Distance Counselling (TDC)
In this case, the counsellor cannot assume responsibility for the client’s decisions. The cli-
ent has to make decisions by themselves.
Distance counselling has in view the client-counsellor relationships, but only through com-
munication which takes place in limited time intervals. The counsellor is not allowed to di-
rectly contact the client but only through the institution he is working in.
In the case of TDC the main difficulties are the following:
• lack of physical proximity between the participants (counsellor – counselled