RELATE have developed an online course for text-based therapeutic skills training in the workplace.
Web chat and email are increasingly used to provide personalised advice and support in helping and supporting professions. Text-based support through these channels can be effective but requires specific skills and there is a shortage of training to help people in these roles improve their skills. The course suits counselling professionals, therapists and those working in a wide range of helping and supporting roles. Relate have identified a wider demand for this training from other sectors including employment advisors, legal advice support and other ‘first voice’ responders. The project demonstrates how digital vocational technology improves the accessibility of learning and helps more people improve their skills. Our next steps aim to establish a standard of proficiency for training in text-based support, working towards gaining accreditation for the course to set the skills standard in this growth area. This will help to scale the training to a wide audience.