During the COVID-19 period, tele-counseling is almost a necessary way to deliver counseling services. However, after the epidemic, how should tele-counseling be positioned? Is it merely a substitute for in-person counseling, a convenient option for individuals with mobility challenges, those residing in remote areas, or those adhering to social distancing guidelines? Alternatively, does it serve a distinct purpose or applicability of its own. This study explores clients’ experiences and adaptation to tele-counseling, focusing on how individual and contextual factors influence these variations, particularly through the lens of emotional responsiveness needs. This study adopted an exploratory qualitative methodology, involving eleven participants aged 18 and older, consisting of nine females and two males, all of whom had both in-person counseling and tele-counseling experiences (about half of them received counseling in the community and half in the school). At the time of the interviews, five participants were actively conducting tele-counseling, two had engaged in in-person counseling, and the remaining four had experience with either tele-counseling or in-person counseling within the past one to two years. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, and the grounded theory was used for data analysis.
Results revealed four dimensions across ten themes: (1) structural limitations of telecommunication interfaces and physical space (e.g., technical disruptions, diminished sense of ritual); (2) influence of client traits and counseling issues on emotional responsiveness needs (e.g., the difference between rational/sensitive traits, difficulty addressing trauma); (3) supportive resources and experiential conditions that regulate anxiety (e.g., self-regulation capacity, therapist style, prior in-person connection, safe environments); and (4) variations in adaptation to tele-counseling based on emotional needs, distinguishing between relatively adaptive and non-adaptive experiences. Despite inherent limitations in emotional and informational exchange, the quality of adaptation to tele-counseling was found to be mediated by client characteristics, therapeutic topics, therapist style, and pre-session preparation. This study recommends that clinical practice attend to clients’ individual traits and emotional needs, strengthening pre-tele-counseling assessments, informed consent, and technological adjustments to enhance adaptation and effectiveness.