Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to identify barriers and enablers to the delivery of webchat counselling for young people

Webchat counselling is increasingly utilised to deliver mental health services to young people. Despite potential barriers to its delivery, a systematic investigation has not yet been conducted. This qualitative study examined barriers and enablers to the delivery of webchat counselling through text communication and identified possible strategies to tackle these, on behalf of counsellors volunteering for an online charity offering psychological support to young people aged below 25. The current investigation was conducted using the Behaviour Change Wheel, a validated and systematic framework employed to guide intervention development and optimisation. Qualitative interviews were carried out with eight volunteers. Thematic analysis identified 11 core themes. Barriers were lack of online communication skills, lack of training to work online with young people, technical difficulties, reduced technical supervision during out-of-office hours, duration of webchat counselling sessions, perceived level of effectiveness, perceived establishment of a therapeutic relationship and perceived confidence in delivering webchat counselling. Enablers were familiarity with technology, flexibility and the absence of physical characteristics. These themes were perceived by counsellors as barriers or enablers depending on factors such as experience with technology and work shifts. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), intervention functions and behaviour change techniques to address these barriers and optimise the service were identified, such as providing counsellors with training to work online with young people, learning new presence techniques to foster emotional connectedness between counsellors and clients, adding time to sessions to compensate for time taken to complete questionnaires and increasing technical support and supervision during out-of-office hours. 1. Online webchat counselling for young people can be optimised to better meet their service needs and provide more effective provision for this underserved age group. 2. Behaviour change theory and tools can be used to identify appropriate and effective intervention strategies to improve the practice of webchat counselling. 3. Training in the delivery of online counselling for young people can be provided as part of counselling education and professional qualifications. 4. Presence techniques can be helpful in addressing the shortcomings of webchat counselling as they are designed to compensate for the lack of non-verbal cues.