DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE PROVISION OF REMOTE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Stefanos Armakolas, Maria Poulou, Georgia Konstantopoulou

Abstract


Modern educational institutions of Higher Education implement various actions to improve the mental health of students, which are based on the use of ICT. Online counseling helps students express their experiences and opinions in both contemporary and asynchronous settings and is a viable solution for counseling adults. The study examines the effectiveness and students' perceptions of the distance psychological counseling service in tertiary institutions. The increasing need to provide mental health services in academic settings, particularly in distance education contexts, prompted this research to analyze the access, satisfaction, and overall impact of these services on student well-being. A quantitative research approach was adopted; data were collected using a set of structured questionnaires, and responses were analyzed using statistical tools such as t-tests and ANOVA to measure various dimensions of service effectiveness. Results suggest that remote counseling helps promote the availability of psychological help specifically for students living in remote or underserved areas, however, there are challenges of technology use and personal involvement that affect overall effectiveness. The research highlights the importance of continuous improvement in service provision and infrastructure development to meet the demands of such a large and diverse student body. Other research recommendations are the thorough study of the implementation of hybrid models of counseling and a more detailed examination of the long-term effects of remote psychological services.

 

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Keywords


mental health, higher education, online counseling, remote learning

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v10i1.5910

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