“We just can’t make the same kind of connection”: College Peer Financial Counselors Reflect on Online Versus In-Person Financial Counseling

• In Event: Humanizing Approaches Toward Ethical and Meaningful Student Processes in Higher Education

Abstract

Sparse work has explored the efficacy of online versus in-person financial counseling programs. As a result, this study involved 43 peer financial counselors from five institutions to explore their perspectives of online versus in-person counseling. Framed by Blau’s (1964) Social Exchange Theory, major themes included: 1) Communication Barriers to Reciprocity and Social Capital in Online Counseling, 2) Technical Barriers Limit Both Reciprocity and Trust in Online Counseling Settings, 3) In-Person Commitments Facilitate Trust and Social Capital Development, and 4) Multi-Modal Counseling Forced Skill Development and Flexibility. We conclude with recommendations for research, policy, and the administration of financial wellness and peer financial counseling programs in higher education.

Author

• Zach Taylor, John Burton Advocates for Youth