TPC Journal-Vol 10- Issue 1

52 The Professional Counselor | Volume 10, Issue 1 education and residential classrooms is shrinking. According to Cicco (2011), there is greater efficacy of training when online learning includes opportunities for counseling modeling by experts using videos and podcasts as well as opportunities for students to engage in the practice and demonstration of clinical skills. Today’s distance education classroom can do all that and more. Students in online core counseling skills courses have reported higher self-efficacy (using the Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory) than their counterparts in traditional F2F classrooms (Watson, 2012). Repeated studies draw similar conclusions regarding gains in self-efficacy using online instruction (Smith et al., 2015). Higher levels of internal motivation, student confidence, and self- efficacy are due in part to the structure of online courses and the requirement for students to engage in independent, autonomous learning exercises (Wadsworth et al., 2007). The evidence we have examined leads us to the conclusion that not only is online and distance education here to stay, but there also are excellent reasons and justifications for its current use and future expansion. We trust that this special section will help to shed light on those aspects of distance counselor education programs proven effective and provide information to the benefit of all counselor training programs—no matter what delivery methods are utilized. Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure The authors reported no conflict of interest or funding contributions for the development of this manuscript. References Allan, R. A. (2001). A history of the personal computer: The people and the technology (1st ed.). Allan Publishing. Ausburn, L. J. (2004). Course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended online education environments: An American perspective. Educational Media International , 41 , 327–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/0952398042000314820 Barnett, J. E. (2018). Integrating technological advances into clinical training and practice: The future is now! Clinical Psychological Science Practice , 8 (25), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12233 Bennett-Levy, J., Hawkins, R., Perry, H., Cromarty, P., & Mills, J. (2012). Online cognitive behavioural therapy training for therapists: Outcomes, acceptability, and impact of support. Australian Psychologist , 47 (3), 174–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9544.2012.00089.x Benshoff, J. M., & Gibbons, M. M. (2011). Bringing life to e-learning: Incorporating a synchronous approach to online teaching in counselor education . The Professional Counselor , 1 , 21–28. https://doi.org/10.15241/jmb.1.1.21 Bolinger, D. U., & Halupa, C. (2018). Online student perceptions of engagement, transactional distance, and outcomes. Distance Education , 39 , 299–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919. 2018.1476845 Bowen, J. A. (2012). Teaching naked: How moving technology out of your college classroom will improve student learning . Jossey-Bass. Buttitta, D., Gehart, D., Minton, S., & Spencer, S. (2018, November). Transforming counselor education with virtual reality. WACES Annual Conference 2018 . Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Santa Rosa, CA. Chapman, R., Baker, S. B., Nassar-McMillan, S., & Gerler, E. (2011). Cybersupervision: Further examination of synchronous and asynchronous modalities in counseling practicum supervision. Counselor Education and Supervision , 50 (5), 298–313. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2011.tb01917.x