Strengthening Online Counselling in Educational Institutions in the Era of Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

This paper aims to draw the attention of educational institutions and the International Counsellors Association to the changes and benefits that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has come along with, deemed a breakthrough for the counselling profession. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the fusion of digital, biological, and physical worlds. It is transforming institutions through new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, the internet, robotics, 3D printing, and advanced wireless technologies.

Counselling is a mature relationship in which a professionally trained counsellor meets with clients to help them solve problems that have to do with their mental, personal, social, educational, and development. It is performed in two ways, thus, face-to-face and online. The online counselling is a more modern-day approach in which counselling is done via the internet. It is one of the technological ways of delivering counselling to clients through technologies such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. This counselling path uses platforms such as Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype and zoom. These make the acquisition of advanced technologies and upskilling of employees eminent in the practices of counselling. The paper highlights; the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), online counselling, the benefits of online counselling and the limitations of online counselling. The paper further suggests effective ways for strengthening online counselling in educational institutions in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era.