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Summary

An alternative and complementary way to communicate with persons with neuropsychiatric disorders has been tested. During spring 2012, employment specialists at Misa AB replaced some of their face-to-face meetings with clients by chat meetings over the web as part of the project Webcoaching project in order to investigate what the experience would be like.

The result was that scheduled chat meetings were experienced as a good complement to physical meetings. Though, in most cases it was not possible to use webcoaching as the only way of communication. Both clients and employment specialists felt that for practical information the meeting form was useful. Webcoaching is a good way to save time, energy and money. At the same time, there is a risk that you lose the possibility to read the mood of the client and don’t perceive that good all the reactions that you would feel and perceive in physical meetings.

Project object:

The main objective of the project Webcoaching was to investigate if scheduled meetings over the web could be an alternative to “regular meeting forms” such as physical meetings or phone meetings. Many persons, especially the clientele of persons within the neuropsychiatric spectrum, are having issues with both physical meetings and travelling. The cost of travelling to a meeting can be very high, a factor that is even more important if your economy is poor. If you use scheduled chats over the internet you are able communicate with a person without having to take into account all these factors.

Methodology

Clients that participated in the project were selected with help of their employment specialists. The employment specialists assessed which of their clients could get use of webcoaching. From all the clients that were asked the ones who said yes were included in the project.

A survey was sent to the clients before and after the project, with questions about their feelings and thoughts in regards to physical and non-physical meetings, their work situation etc. During the period of the project about every second meeting between the client and the employment specialist was replaced by a scheduled chat session. This differed between every client due to every single situation and need for support. Some clients were having only chat meetings for some months due to that the person was feeling well enough to need no more physical meetings at all, and this was a good complement to not having any meetings at all. Nevertheless, some clients had to stop the chat meetings since they discovered a need for physical sessions at their work place.

Target

All professions working with clients and employed persons in need of communication.

Good practice innovations

After the project, many of the employment specialists continued to use Webcoaching as a method to communicate with their clients. Webcoaching is more and more seen as a “normal” meeting form, and a good way to meet the client in a meeting form that might be, for several reasons, more comfortable to the client at a specific moment. There is also a risk that webcoaching might be too comfortable for the client and thereby constrain him to take the next step to find a work place. This risk always has to be considered, but at the same time, webcoaching provides a chance to arrange a meeting that otherwise might not be held.

Good practice achievements

 Webcoaching is more and more seen as a “normal” meeting form and after the project, many of the employment specialists continued to use Webcoaching as a method to communicate with their clients.

Project partners and other stakeholders

The Unit for Science and Investigation at Misa AB and employment specialists at Misa AB.

Evaluation

A follow up and evaluation during the whole process and one year after the project ended using surveys for employment specialists and clients asking about their experiences and feelings related to the use of webcoaching.