Online emotional support delivered by trained volunteers: users’ satisfaction and their perception of the service compared to psychotherapy
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Technology could answer the substantial need in human resources available for supporting those who suffer from mental illness, by providing scalable methods to train and engage non-professionals to those who need their support. 7 Cups of Tea (7COT) platform was chosen for this study, because it provides a good case study for examining this kind of solution. AIM: The aim of this paper was to provide empirical findings regarding users' satisfaction with online emotional support provided by trained volunteers and how it is perceived in comparison to psychotherapy. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 7COT users. RESULTS: The findings showed high user satisfaction with the support provided by 7COT listeners and, on average, users who indicated to receive psychotherapy in their past marked the listeners' support to be as helpful as psychotherapy. Relating to psychotherapy and online emotional support advantages, different advantages were found. The findings suggest that receiving support from volunteers makes users feel that the support is more genuine. CONCLUSION: The paper provides preliminary evidence that people in emotional distress may find non-professionals support delivered through the use of technology to be helpful. Limitations and implications are discussed.
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In 7 studies, anonymity (users could share and receive information anonymously) was listed as a facilitating factor to engage and encourage disclosure of information.
“Overall, 7 studies listed anonymity, meaning that users could share and receive information anonymously, as a facilitating factor to engage and encourage disclosure of information [41,88,129,137,141,148,232].”
From Barriers to and facilitators of user engagement with digital mental health interventions: Systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [232]
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- Authors
- Baumel, A.
- Affiliations
- Northwell Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Baumel, Amit
- ORCID
- Baumel, Amit
- Venue
- Journal of Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-09-03
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 313-320
- ISSN
- 0963-8237 (ISSN-L)
- 1360-0567
- OpenAlex
- W1761630259
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 3.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
- Keywords
- user satisfaction, psychotherapy comparison, mental illness, emotional distress, mental health technology
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Mental Disorders, Emotions, Female, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Male, Mental Health Services, Middle Aged, Psychotherapy, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Support, Volunteers, Patient Satisfaction, Telemedicine, Internet, Young Adult
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