Telepsychology: Does it Bridge the Social Justice Theory and Action Gap?

Introduction

The British Psychological Society in their Code of Ethics and Conduct (2018) highlight the need to address ethical challenges that may arise as a result of technological changes and innovations as well as dangers that may be caused due to climate change and global conflicts. Established by the British Psychological Society in the 1900s in United Kingdom, counselling psychology is influenced by the humanistic value system and is built on the principle of self-determination wherein individuals have the right and capacity to choose what is best for them. There is focus on adopting collaborative, non-hierarchical, and egalitarian relationships with individuals. The Division of Counselling Psychology Professional Practice Guidelines (2005, p. 2) state that counselling psychologists must ‘recognise social contexts and discrimination and to work always in ways that empower rather than control and also demonstrate the high standards of anti-discriminatory practice appropriate to the pluralistic nature of society today.’ This highlights the need for counselling psychology to identify social context and work using a multicultural lens, however, the profession of counselling psychology has been previously criticised for failing to adopt an explicit multicultural and socially just identity for itself (Moller, 2011; Cutts, 2013). This has shifted in the last several years and there now is growing literature about social justice, diversity, and multiculturalism thereby bringing about a change in the counselling psychology identity (Tribe & Bell, 2018).