A comparative analysis of online, offline, and integrated counseling among hidden youth in Hong Kong

The emergence of the Internet has given rise to the continuous development of online counseling since the 1970s. Despite the increasing popularity of online counseling in the globe currently, whether the advantages of online counseling surpasses that of offline counseling is still in controversy. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to compare between online, offline, and integrated counseling (i.e., the combined use of online and offline counseling) in therapeutic outcomes, so as to shed light on the significance of largely developing online counseling in youth contexts in Hong Kong. Targeting 502 hidden youth in Hong Kong who were aged 12-24 as participants, this study adopted a mixed method in doing the comparative analysis of service outcomes in terms of quality of life and sense of well-being. Quantitative results showed that integrated counseling was perceived as achieving the best outcomes among all the three forms of counseling, while online counseling was better than offline counseling. Explained by qualitative analyses, online and offline counseling had their unique advantages which were complementary to each other: While online counseling dealt with individual, psychological issues more effectively, offline counseling helped provide more substantial support in terms of real-time company and tangible resources. The implication is that online counseling has a potential value to be extensively developed in Hong Kong, either as an alternative to offline counseling or being integrated with offline counseling to maximize the service outcomes.