THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE COUNSELLING IN DEALING WITH THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RELEVANT FOR THE POST-COVID ERA

Background: The article discusses the specifics of online counselling that could be beneficial in critical situations not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in the post-COVID era and the benefits and risks of counselling that need to be addressed when working with clients. This article is based on the results of a survey conducted in Italy involving three hundred respondents during the period January 2020 to April 2021 who, as a result of the crisis situations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, became afflicted with alcohol dependence. Methods: The research was carried out on the basis of qualitative research strategies. The used tool was an in-depth online interview. The aim of the survey is to point out the benefits of the unique strategies that online counselling can provide to a group of respondents with such a problem. Results: The aim of the online interviews was to make respondents aware of the symptoms of their estrangement and to provide them with help by motivating them, which is necessary in order to change their situation. The author of the survey, and at the same time the counsellor during the online interviews, worked with the potential of accepting each individual respondent. He attuned himself internally to their thoughts and mental states, made them aware of the prospect of hope, reassured them of their dignity and ability to establish relationships with the people in their surroundings, and helped them to enter a therapeutic community, which has clearly defined rules of conduct that must be respected by all members. He helped them to restore the right hierarchy of values, stimulated their will to heal and supported their gradual reintegration into society. Through online counselling they were repeatedly instructed to focus on hope, on the possibility of change, and on the fact that they are capable of achieving this change in order to begin their new life journey. Conclusion: The post-COVID era opens up new challenges for online counselling, in directing this form of assistance so that it retains its uniqueness while protecting it from the risks posed by virtual reality. The given analysis can be the basis for a series of new research approaches which will be more precisely specified for the benefits of online counselling during the post-COVID era.