Abstract
The study sought to investigate the influence that telepsychology has had on the career progression of educational psychologists. The study which is qualitative in nature interviewed seven educational psychologist who operated in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The participants who comprised six females and one male were chosen using purposive sampling and were then interviewed using the semi-structured interview approach.
The study found out that COVID-19 forced the psychologists to practice telepsychology given that the country was under lockdown. There was initial resistance borne out of the fear of the unknown and general resistance to change. The psychologists were also not well equipped for telepsychology given that they were afforded very little training which was haphazard.
However, the educational psychologists are now warming up to telepsychology as they are getting used to it and also given that it’s a form of consultation that some clients prefer. The educational psychologists have also realised that technology is here to stay, and they cannot afford to continue to resist it.
Keywords
Career; career construction; telehealth; telepsychology; ICTs; career trajectory; COVID-19; educational psychology; educational psychologist