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‘Is it all right if I make a suggestion?’: permission requests in social services’ online chat counselling

Thell, Nataliya LU and Ellung Jørgensen, Sabine (2025) In European Social Work Research p.1-16
Abstract
In this paper, we explore permission requests to provide guidance in the specific context of social services’ online chat counselling. Asking permission to communicate information or advice as a conversational practice is commonly associated with motivational interviewing (MI), which has become increasingly popular in various social work contexts. The MI literature is ambiguous regarding how and in which cases the practice of asking permission is appropriate. We use the approach of conversation analysis to examine in detail how the practice is used by social workers to identify its interactional functions. We also discuss to what extent the practice aligns with MI intentions when used in online social work.
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
social services, anonymous online chat, motivational interviewing, conversation analysis
in
European Social Work Research
pages
1 - 16
publisher
Bristol University Press
ISSN
2755-1768
DOI
10.1332/27551768Y2025D000000037
project
Social guidance on the Internet: professional challenges, strategies and practices
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d4d3f2d4-c4d2-41b1-8748-e3b6aaa44663
date added to LUP
2025-04-06 11:14:52
date last changed
2025-04-07 14:25:39
@article{d4d3f2d4-c4d2-41b1-8748-e3b6aaa44663,
  abstract     = {{In this paper, we explore permission requests to provide guidance in the specific context of social services’ online chat counselling. Asking permission to communicate information or advice as a conversational practice is commonly associated with motivational interviewing (MI), which has become increasingly popular in various social work contexts. The MI literature is ambiguous regarding how and in which cases the practice of asking permission is appropriate. We use the approach of conversation analysis to examine in detail how the practice is used by social workers to identify its interactional functions. We also discuss to what extent the practice aligns with MI intentions when used in online social work.}},
  author       = {{Thell, Nataliya and Ellung Jørgensen, Sabine}},
  issn         = {{2755-1768}},
  keywords     = {{social services; anonymous online chat; motivational interviewing; conversation analysis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  pages        = {{1--16}},
  publisher    = {{Bristol University Press}},
  series       = {{European Social Work Research}},
  title        = {{‘Is it all right if I make a suggestion?’: permission requests in social services’ online chat counselling}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/27551768Y2025D000000037}},
  doi          = {{10.1332/27551768Y2025D000000037}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}