Online Counselling in Post-COVID Singapore: A Rapid Scoping Review with Regional Comparisons in Asia

Online counselling (OC) has been practised even before the COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise in 2020. This article undertakes the process of a rapid scoping review to answer two research questions-(1) how published guidelines for OC in Singapore compare with an established framework of telebehavioral practice, and (2) which applications and/or adaptations of OC by mental health professionals in Asia are relevant to practitioners in Singapore. This review finds that while Singapore’s OC guidelines offer broad coverage, there is a need to deepen their scope. Notably, OC practices by practitioners in China, India, and Taiwan were identified for applying to the Singaporean context. The adaptations include strategies for engaging diverse client populations in virtual environments. An interdisciplinary endeavour amongst the professional community in Singapore is recommended to clarify best practice standards, especially where perspectives diverge or conflict. More crucially, training providers should consider updating their curricula, as in-person psychotherapy skills do not automatically translate into competencies for OC.