Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Facilitating reflection in communication training : experiences from an exercise in online chat counselling

Thell, Nataliya LU (2026) In Social Work Education p.1-8
Abstract
Reflective practice serves as an important mechanism for developing
interpersonal skills in communication training. This paper
reports on an online chat-based exercise conducted at
a university in Sweden since 2021 as part of social work communication
training. The exercise responds to a growing demand for
digital communication training for future social workers and aims to
stimulate students’ reflection on the skills required for online, text-
based interactions with anonymous users. The exercise is structured
as a three-part session including (1) an introduction to online text-
based counseling, (2) a simulation of anonymous chat interactions
in which students take on the roles of support seeker... (More)
Reflective practice serves as an important mechanism for developing
interpersonal skills in communication training. This paper
reports on an online chat-based exercise conducted at
a university in Sweden since 2021 as part of social work communication
training. The exercise responds to a growing demand for
digital communication training for future social workers and aims to
stimulate students’ reflection on the skills required for online, text-
based interactions with anonymous users. The exercise is structured
as a three-part session including (1) an introduction to online text-
based counseling, (2) a simulation of anonymous chat interactions
in which students take on the roles of support seeker and support
provider, and (3) a structured reflection phase in which students
reflect on their experiences. The paper outlines the pedagogical
foundations and design of the exercise and presents a thematic
analysis of students’ written reflections. Three main themes are
identified: the novelty of the communication format and resulting
shifts in perspective; enhanced understanding of communication
skills required for text-based interaction; and increased awareness
of the affordances and limitations of anonymous online communication.
The paper concludes by discussing possible directions for
further development of the exercise. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
communication training, reflection, experiential learning, social work program, online chat, digitalisation, text-based counseling, anonymous support, professional skills, simulated interaction
in
Social Work Education
pages
8 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105040754139
ISSN
1470-1227
DOI
10.1080/02615479.2026.2681019
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
30f23b54-3519-42b1-90e7-4cf50f001122
date added to LUP
2026-05-29 08:59:36
date last changed
2026-07-18 04:01:47
@article{30f23b54-3519-42b1-90e7-4cf50f001122,
  abstract     = {{Reflective practice serves as an important mechanism for developing<br/>interpersonal skills in communication training. This paper<br/>reports on an online chat-based exercise conducted at<br/>a university in Sweden since 2021 as part of social work communication<br/>training. The exercise responds to a growing demand for<br/>digital communication training for future social workers and aims to<br/>stimulate students’ reflection on the skills required for online, text-<br/>based interactions with anonymous users. The exercise is structured<br/>as a three-part session including (1) an introduction to online text-<br/>based counseling, (2) a simulation of anonymous chat interactions<br/>in which students take on the roles of support seeker and support<br/>provider, and (3) a structured reflection phase in which students<br/>reflect on their experiences. The paper outlines the pedagogical<br/>foundations and design of the exercise and presents a thematic<br/>analysis of students’ written reflections. Three main themes are<br/>identified: the novelty of the communication format and resulting<br/>shifts in perspective; enhanced understanding of communication<br/>skills required for text-based interaction; and increased awareness<br/>of the affordances and limitations of anonymous online communication.<br/>The paper concludes by discussing possible directions for<br/>further development of the exercise.}},
  author       = {{Thell, Nataliya}},
  issn         = {{1470-1227}},
  keywords     = {{communication training; reflection; experiential learning; social work program; online chat; digitalisation; text-based counseling; anonymous support; professional skills; simulated interaction}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  pages        = {{1--8}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Social Work Education}},
  title        = {{Facilitating reflection in communication training : experiences from an exercise in online chat counselling}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2026.2681019}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/02615479.2026.2681019}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}