Lessons from the field during a pandemic: students' views of ethics in e-therapy

As stay-at-home orders and regional lockdowns were mandated across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic required established practitioners, new graduates, and students in field placements to provide services using technology tools and supports, generically labeled 'e-therapy'. While this transition was necessary, it raised important ethical concerns. Finn assessed the attitudes of students toward ethical issues in e-therapy in 2002. This article reports the results from surveys of MSW students in one Australian and two CSWE-accredited American programs in 2018 and 2020. The 2018 surveys explored changes since 2002 in student attitudes toward e-therapy, followed by the 2020 surveys to explore the further impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey instrument was based on Finn's original questionnaire, with items added in 2020 to reflect the increased need for technology-supported services during the pandemic. The 2018 results showed comparatively more familiarity with and use of e-therapy by students, more positive attitudes toward e-therapy use, and more acceptance of the capacity for e-therapy to meet ethical practice requirements. The 2020 results revealed further increases in use and positive attitudes, together with recognition of serious ethical issues. Lessons learned from student qualitative responses are included, along with suggestions for social work curricula and field education.