ONLINE COUNSELLING SESSION: DEVELOPING ETHICAL GUIDELINE FRAMEWORK FOR COUNSELLORS AND CLIENTS IN MALAYSIA BY ZULFIKAR BIN AHMAD A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education Kulliyyah of Education International Islamic University Malaysia SEPTEMBER 2017
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ONLINE COUNSELLING SESSION: DEVELOPING
ETHICAL GUIDELINE FRAMEWORK FOR
COUNSELLORS AND CLIENTS IN MALAYSIA
BY
ZULFIKAR BIN AHMAD
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for
The advancement of technology offers a new communication medium and approach
for counsellors in Malaysia to deliver counselling sessions online. Although the
traditional practice of counselling involves face-to-face interaction between counsellor
and client, a growing number of practitioners are providing online counselling
sessions via Social Networking Services (SNS) and Mobile Chat Applications (MCA).
The goal of the study was to develop an ethical guideline framework in an online
counselling session for counsellors in Malaysia. Variables such as mutual trust
framework, techniques in counselling and ethical guidelines were assessed.
Respondents were selected through purposive sampling involving 39 undergraduate
students (35 females and 4 males) majoring in Guidance and Counselling from the
Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The
respondents do not represent the whole population but assisted the researcher to
pursue Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as the method in collecting data. The
processes and procedures of collecting data involved defining a focus group, setting
questions, conducting the discussions and analysing the data were properly conducted
with the supervision of the respective lecturer in the field. Atlas.ti 7 Window software
was used as a tool to analyse data. The results of the study indicated that there are
three main elements that help form ethical guidelines in an online counselling session;
general ethics of both the counsellor and the client, the counsellor’s ethics as the main
provider of the service and the users of the services provided. Based on the research
finding, a framework on ethical guidelines formed through emerging topics was
proposed. Guidelines on confidentiality and security, dual relationship and informed
consent ethics when conducting online counselling session were identified as core
elements in the ethical framework proposed. The implication and contributions of the
finding may help to assist counsellors, clients, the government, higher learning
institutions and accreditation bodies in providing better counselling services in the
future.
iii
خلاصة البحث
ارين في ماليزيا لتقديم دم التكنولوجي وسيلة اتصال جديدة، ومنهجا جديدا للمستشوفَّر التق ستشارةلممارسة التقليدية لتقديم الاة عبر الإنترنت. على الرغم من أن اار شستجلسات الا
ن المستشارين تشمل التفاعل وجها لوجه بين المستشار والعميل، إلا أن هناك عددا متزايدا م( SNSعبر الإنترنت من خلال خدمات الشبكات الاجتماعية ) ستشارةيمارس جلسات الا
ضع إطار توجيهي الهدف من هذه الدراسة و (. و MCAوتطبيقات الدردشة المتنقلة )لاستشارة عبر الإنترنت للمستشارين في ماليزيا. وتم تقييم متغيرات مثل أخلاقي في جلسة ا
ة، والمبادئ التوجيهية الأخلاقية. تم اختيار ار شستلالمتبادلة، والتقنيات في تقديم اإطار الثقة امن ذكور( 4و ثىأن 35طالبا جامعيا ) 39ادفة مللت العينة الهالمستجيبين من خلال
من كلية التربية، الجامعة الإسلامية العالمية في ماليزيا توجيهفي الإرشاد وال المتخصصين(IIUM .) تشكيل ومتابعةساعدوا الباحث على ولكنهم المجتمع، كليمثل المجيبون لا و
لجمع البيانات. وقد تم إجراء عمليات وإجراءات اأسلوببوصفها مصغرة، ناقشةم مجموعةوتحليل ،، وإجراء المناقشةالأسئلة، ووضع المناقشةجمع البيانات المتعلقة بتحديد مجموعة
تي أطلس ستخدام برنامجتم او البيانات بشكل صحيح بإشراف المحاضر المعني في هذا المجال. تثلاثة عناصر رئيسة شكل هناك أداة لإجراء تحليل البيانات. وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن 7الأخلاقيات العامة لكل من :ستشارية عبر الإنترنتالالسة الجخلاقية في الأتوجيهية البادئ الم
فضلا عن مستخدمي ،المستشار والعميل، وأخلاقيات المستشار كمقدم رئيس للخدمةح إطار عمل بشأن المبادئ التوجيهية ا اقتر تم الخدمات المقدمة. واستنادا إلى نتائج البحث،
الأخلاقية التي تم تشكيلها من خلال المواضيع الناشئة. وحددت المبادئ التوجيهية المتعلقة ستشارةراء جلسة الاإج والعلاقة المزدوجة وأخلاقيات الموافقة المستنيرة في ،والأمن ،بالسرية
ح. ومن المممل أن تساعد عبر الإنترنت بوصفها عناصر أساسية في الإطار الأخلاقي المقتر ،وممسسات التعليم العالي ،والحكومة ،والعملاء ،في تقديم المساعدة للمستشارين النتائج
وهيئات الاعتماد في تقديم خدمات استشارية أفضل في المستقبل.
iv
APPROVAL PAGE
This dissertation of Zulfikar bin Ahmad has been approved by the following:
_________________________________
Nik Ahmad Hisham Ismail
Supervisor
__________________________________
Ssekamanya Siraje Abdallah
Co-Supervisor
_________________________________
Khamsiah Ismail
Co-Supervisor
________________________________
Siti Rafiah Abd Hamid
Internal Examiner
________________________________
Mohamed Sharif Hj. Mustaffa
External Examiner
________________________________
Diana Lea Baranovich
External Examiner
______________________________
Sohirin Mohammad Solihin
Chairperson
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the result of my own investigations, except
where otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently
submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder
except as provided below
1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may
be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.
2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print
or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieved system
and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other
universities and research libraries.
By signing this form, I acknowledged that I have read and understand the IIUM
Intellectual Property Right and Commercialization policy.
Affirmed by Zulfikar bin Ahmad
……..…………………….. ………………………..
Signature Date
vii
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
To my wife, Dr. Szariannie Bt Sulaiman and my children, Zurainie Zulfikar, Zulfa
Zulfikar and Ahmad Azzubair Zulfikar, whose love, companionship and inspiration
made this piece of work possible.
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This journey would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of
the following individuals, and I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to each of them.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Nik
Ahmad Hisham Ismail for his unwavering support and mentorship.
A special feeling of gratitude to my loving parents, Hj. Ahmad bin Hitam and
Allahyarhamah Hjh. Marlina binti Bachtiar Zein whose words of encouragement and
push for tenacity ring in my ears. My parents-in-law, Allahyarham Sulaiman bin
Ismail and Zunaijah binti Ahmad thank you so much. To my other half, my wife, Dr.
Szariannie binti Sulaiman thank you for being my thesis buddy. Without her
thoughtful encouragement and understanding, my study would be impossible. My
children, Zurainie, Zulfa and Ahmad Azzubair, thank you for being there for babah
and ibu throughout this 8 years of our study. We love you so much. To my sisters and
brother, Zuryetmy Ahmad, Yuly Erna Ahmad, Rina Affridawanti Ahmad and Hazrul
Fahmi Ahmad, thank you so much for your supports.
To my colleague, Asst. Prof. Dr. Siti Kholijah Kassim thank you for assisting
me till the end of this thesis. My thanks also go out to the kulliyyah members at the
Kulliyyah of Education, IIUM who so kindly assist me in this journey.
Finally, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to my officemates at Pusat
Kaunseling UTM Kuala Lumpur, friends and teammates for giving me the support
and du’a when I needed them the most. You guys have been my best cheerleaders.
Jazakallahukhairan
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract .........................................................................................................................ii Abstract in Arabic .........................................................................................................iii Approval Page ...............................................................................................................iv Declaration ....................................................................................................................v Copyright Page..............................................................................................................vi Dedication .....................................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................xiii List of Figures ...............................................................................................................xiv
List of Diagrams ...........................................................................................................xiv
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................1 1.2 Statement of Problem ..................................................................................9 1.3 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................14 1.4 Research Questions .....................................................................................14 1.5 Previous Studies on Online Counselling.....................................................17 1.6 Limitations of Study ...................................................................................20 1.7 Conceptual and Operational Definitions .....................................................20 1.8 General Organization of Thesis ..................................................................22 1.9 Conclusion ..................................................................................................23
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................24 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................24 2.2 Theoretical Framework of the Study ..........................................................25 2.3 Online Counselling Session ........................................................................28 2.4 Defining the Study ......................................................................................33 2.5 Trust from Islamic Perspectives..................................................................34 2.6 Ethical Guidelines .......................................................................................38 2.7 Informed Consent and Confidentiality Guidelines .....................................41 2.8 Confidentiality from Islamic Perspectives ..................................................50 2.9 Mobile Phone Technology ..........................................................................52 2.10 Chat Application ........................................................................................58 2.11 Mobile Chat Application ...........................................................................60 2.12 Social Networking Services (SNS) ...........................................................63 2.13 Conclusion .................................................................................................66
3.2.1 Selection of Study Area .....................................................................70 3.2.2 Selection of Respondents ...................................................................70 3.2.3 Data Collection Procedure .................................................................71 3.2.4 Process of Collecting Data .................................................................72
3.2.4.1 Defining a Focus Group .........................................................72
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3.2.4.2 Designing the Focus Group Questions ..................................73 3.2.4.3 Recruiting and Preparing for Respondents ............................75 3.2.4.4 Conducting the Focus Group .................................................75 3.2.4.5 Thematic Analysis .................................................................76 3.2.4.6 Analyzing the Data ................................................................77
3.2.5 Data Triangulation .............................................................................78 3.2.6 Data Keeping .....................................................................................80 3.2.7 Limitation of the Study ......................................................................81
3.3 Validity and Trustworthiness (Reliability) .................................................81
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................84 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................85 4.2 Developing Mutual Trust in an Online Counselling Session .....................85
4.2.1 Source of Information ........................................................................85 4.2.1.1 Personal ..................................................................................86 4.2.1.2 Internet ...................................................................................88 4.2.1.3 Printed Resources...................................................................89
4.2.2 Preferred Medium ..............................................................................90 4.2.2.1 Mobile Application ................................................................91 4.2.2.2 Websites .................................................................................92 4.2.2.3 Social Networks .....................................................................93
4.2.3 Reason for Choosing the Medium .....................................................94 4.2.3.1 Accessibility ...........................................................................95 4.2.3.2 Trust (Amanah) ......................................................................97 4.2.3.3 Confidentiality .......................................................................98
4.2.4 Concept and Understanding Amanah in Online Counselling ............99 4.2.1.1 Amanah ..................................................................................100 4.2.1.2 Rapport ...................................................................................102 4.2.1.3 Ethical Issues in Counselling .................................................104
4.3 Examining Technique of Developing Mutual Trust Between
Counsellor And client in an Online Counselling Session ...........................106 4.3.1 Face-to-Face Experience ....................................................................107 4.3.2 Differences between Face-to-Face and Online Counselling ..............110
4.3.2.1 Advantages of Face-to-Face ..................................................111 4.3.2.2 Advantages of Online Counselling ........................................114 4.3.2.3 Disadvantages of Face-to-Face Counselling ..........................116 4.3.2.4 Disadvantages of Online Counselling ....................................117
4.3.3 Perception on Online Counselling .....................................................120 4.3.3.1 Yes (Have Attended and Perceived Online Counselling
Sessionas Practical) ................................................................121 4.3.3.2 No (Have Attended but Perceived Online Counselling
Session as Not Practical) ........................................................122 4.3.3.3 Maybe (Never Attended but Perceived Online
Counselling Session as Practical) ..........................................122 4.3.3.4 Never Attendonline Counselling Session ..............................123
4.3.4 Openness in Online Counselling ........................................................123
xi
4.3.4.1 Yes (Online Counselling Provide Openness in
Expressing Clients’ Feelings) ................................................124 4.3.4.2 No (Online Counselling does Not Provide Openness in
4.3.5.1 Informed Consent in the Form of Soft Copy .........................128 4.3.5.2 Informed Consent in the Form of Hard Copy ........................130
4.3.6 Ground Rules for the Client in Online Counselling Session .............131 4.4 Providing Ethical Guidelines for Counsellors in Developing Mutual
Trust with Clients in an Online Counselling Session .................................133 4.4.1 Respondents Online Experience ........................................................133
4.4.1.1 Respondents Who Agree with Online Counselling ...............134 4.4.1.2 Respondents Disagree with Online Counselling....................136
4.4.2 Ethical Issues in Online Counselling .................................................137 4.4.2.1 Credibility ..............................................................................138 4.4.2.2 Limitation of the Session .......................................................139 4.4.2.3 Ethical Issue ...........................................................................141 4.4.2.4 Convenience in Managing Online Counselling Session ........143
4.4.3 Ethics to be Observed in Online Counselling ....................................143 4.4.3.1 Confidentiality .......................................................................146 4.4.3.2 Reliability ...............................................................................147 4.4.3.3 Dual Relationship...................................................................147 4.4.3.4 Validation ...............................................................................147
4.4.4 Promoting Ethical Values in Online Counselling ..............................148 4.4.4.1 Ethical Value ..........................................................................149 4.4.4.2 Skills in Conducting Online Counselling Session .................151
4.4.5 The Practice of Face-to-face or Online Counselling ..........................152 4.4.5.1 Opted on the Practice of Online Counselling Session ...........153 4.4.5.2 Opted on the Practice of Face-to-Face Counselling
4.4.6.1 Those Who will Promote Online Counselling Session ..........159 4.4.6.2 Those Who will Not Promote Online Counselling
Session ...................................................................................161 4.4.7 Satisfactory Level in Online Counselling Session .............................162
4.4.7.1 Those Who are Satisfied with Online Counselling
Session ...................................................................................162 4.4.7.2 Those Who are Dissatisfied with Online Counselling
Session ...................................................................................164 4.4.7.3 Those Who Moderately Satisfied with Online
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION ........................................168 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................168 5.2 Implications and Contributions of the Study ..............................................178 5.3 Testing Rival Explanations .........................................................................179