people simultaneously. This may be disruptive to the contact or to the perceived flow of conversation. It can be distracting and even frustrating for the counsellor. Thus, it may be necessary to talk to the chatter about it, if it seems that the chatter has lost focus in the conversation. It is often due to lack of knowledge of the social rules attached to receiving counselling.
11.5 PEER-TO-PEER TRAINING AND LIVE SUPERVISION As the conversation is silent, and chatter and counsellor cannot see each other, it is easily possible for less experienced counsellors to observe more experienced counsellors while they perform counselling. This observation can be supported with ongoing dialogue about the conversation as long as it does not interfere with the counsellor’s work with the child. Likewise, the more experienced counsellor can guide the less experienced counsellor while the latter communicates with the chatters. Supervision can therefore be live without major difficulty. It is also common for counsellors to seek support, reflection and guidance from colleagues while conversations take place. This practice can be very different from helpline to helpline, depending on how many counsellors are in the room, how they are located physically in relation to each other and the organisation’s culture for maintaining a dialogue with colleagues while chatters are being assisted. The possibility of dialogue with colleagues or supervisors during the conversation is regarded primarily as a resource in relation to the individual counselling sessions, although it can also be disturbing to have to deal with other people’s conversations while taking care of your own. Some might question the ethics of involving others in conversations without the chatter’s consent. You must emphasise that it is the organisation rather than the counsellor that serves the chatter. It is therefore entirely legitimate to make use of colleagues’ resources during the counselling session as long as it is with the objective of ensuring the best possible help for the chatter. If the chatter asks about whether you share information with others
Working as a Chat Counsellor
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