1. Local educational events:
Rarely. There are some persons who offer training in Online Counseling ("Online Beratung") though.
2. Most common communication tools used in the country:
Austria is a very "techy" country. More than 90%* of the population have at least one mobile phone, 42% of those can be used to go online. 77% of all Austrians have used a computer in 2008. The percentage varies between the ages (from 96% in the group of 16-24 to 31,6% in the persons of 65-74, with a higher ratio in men than women in the older population). 99,6% of the pupils use computers. And Austrians are "heavy users": an average of 75,6% uses a computer on a daily basis.
88,9% communicate online - communication has become the number one reason for using the internet in Austria; followed by searching information (87,8%), online services (73,7%) and e-government (54,7%).
| % | e-mail | VoIP
| messageboards
| instant messaging | blogs |
overall
| 87,8
| 18,2
| 20,9
| 18,8
| 18,1 |
men 16-24
| 91,1
| 25,7
| 55,5
| 48,1
| 34 |
men 25-34
| 91,6
| 27,9
| 29,7
| 28,4
| 22,5 |
men 35-44
| 89,3
| 16,1
| 15,3
| 13,1
| 20 |
women 16-24
| 91,6
| 19,8
| 43,4
| 34,4
| 27,6 |
women 25-34
| 90,8
| 21,9
| 20,5
| 23,7
| 14,8 |
women 35-44
| 84,9
| 13,4
| 10,1
| 9,8
| 9,5 |
* all numbers in this and the following paragraph are from www.statistik.at, the official austrian statistics institute, taken from the study "Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien in Haushalten 2008" (information- and communication-technologies in households, 2008)
3. Level of access for the general population:
In 2008 84% used the computer at home, 57% on their workplace. Again high differences in agegroups and levels of education can be found. 72,9% use the internet (average), interestingly 94,1% of young women (16-24) and 93,8% of the men of the same age group were online at least once in 2008. The men of all older age groups use the internet more often than women though.
2008 "only" 31,4% used a mobile computer or 10,9% a mobile phone to access the internet. Companies spent a lot of money to increase this number though. Meanwhile USB-devices for computers or mobile computers are sold for no cost in combination with contracts for mobile internet use. So the number is very likely to increase during 2009.
In addition broadband use is very common: 80,2% have internet at home, the number increases in households with children and in the younger population (95.5% of pupils have internet access in school).
4. Level and examples of online mental health
services/research/education/supervision:
5. Legal/regulatory issues:
Psychologists and psychotherapists as well as all medical doctors have to follow Austrian law, which regulates all of the listed professions very clearly. Whereas law for the medical science goes back to the dark ages, the law for psychologists and psychotherapists is very young and dates back to 1991 only - although Austria was one of the first European countries having any law. Until 2008 still only 11 countries in the EU had explicit directives or law. Since Austria does not have case law but statute law, some of the changes in modern life cannot easily or quickly be considered. Therefor directives exist which have also binding character.
The Austrian Ministry of Health published a directive in 2005 ("Internetrichtlinie") which is valid for psychotherapists and psychologists in Austria. The directive is based on the Austrian Law concerning the definition, training and the pursuance of those two vocations.
The most important rules are:
- Psychologists and psychotherapists have to work with their clients directly "unmittelbar"). Therefor they may not use other communication tools online but so-called synchron communication (chat, IM)
- Due to the very strict confidentiality rules psychotherapists and psychologists must do everything possible to ensure maximum safety of client data. This means the best possible technical solutions for data safety on their own side and information and support for clients, so they can protect their own security.
- Clients must be informed that online counseling ("Online Beratung") is neither psychotherapy nor psychological therapy ("klinisch-psychologische Behandlung")
- Professionals have to do everything to ensure optimum counseling for their clients as regards technical and scientific knowledge - face to face and online. The directive does not explicitly mention training though.
- Professionals offering online counseling via their own homepage also have to consider the e-commerce-law.
- All the other articles of the Austrian Psychologist's and Psychotherapist's laws are valid for either professions working online.
6. Insurance/payment options:
Austria is not the US. There are rarely ever clients sueing anyone. In most cases problems between a psychologist/psychotherapist and client can be solved without a court. Nevertheless various insurance companies offer policies for those professions. One has to make sure, that online counseling is backed though.
7. Languages spoken:
German; various other languages by immigrants (turkish, serbo-croatian etc.)
8. Relevant cultural issues:
Yes :-)
9. Resources in the field of online mental health:
www.oegob.net: official homepage of the Austrian Association of Online Counseling
www.e-beratungsjournal.net: homepage of a journal for online counseling (German mostly)
www.psycheonline.at: homepage offering online mental health; a German translation of ISMHO's Suggested Principles can be found there http://www.psycheonline.at/index.php?id=grundsatzliches .
www.bmgfj.gv.at: official homepage of the Austrian Ministry of Health (directive for online counseling (German only) > psychische gesundheit > richtlinien im bereich der klinischen psychologie etc. > richtlinien im bereich der psychotherapie > internetrichtlinie)
www.ris.bka.gv.at: database with all Austrian law in the most recent version
