The use of technology by mental health professionals has gradually increased in the past decade, most saliently the use of the Internet, which has been effective in the areas of distance education, cybertherapy, information sharing, supervision and counselor training (Manhal-Baugus, 2001; Van Horn & Myrick, 2001; Baggerly, 2002; Cabaniss, 2002; Elleven & Allen, 2004). Information sharing, in particular, has been very essential for counselors and therapists interested in utilizing cinematherapy. Movie reviews, creative film applications, case studies, and technical developments are just a few of the shared resources that the Internet offers to the cinematherapist.

Several websites exist that supply professional counselors with the cinematherapy essentials. Wolz (2005) hosts www.cinematherapy.com, which provides clinicians with an extensive film list and theoretical rational behind the approach’s effectiveness. Sharp’s (n.d.) website; www.cinematherapy.cc, contains a brief list of useful movies for the school counselor, and www.ed.uab.edu/cinematherapy/home.html aids health professionals in understanding the history and guidelines of cinematherapy (Tyson, Foster, & Jones, 2000). Powell’s (2005) website; www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com, is geared toward the child/adolescent population, and informs clinicians about the various uses of cinematherapy (i.e. group and family counseling).

Although these Internet resources exist for the professional interested in applying film techniques in therapeutic sessions, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting such websites as accurate in content and effective in delivery. Not one of the aforementioned authors state online whether they have had their website evaluated for content validity or usability, which would ultimately ensure that their instruction is legitimate and useful. Since much of the information provided on the Internet is potentially inaccurate (Green, Lawson, & Getz, 2005), a

content validity evaluation would be rather advantageous. This study will appraise one website; www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com, by evaluating its content, design, and usefulness for mental health professionals, and make suggestions for other counselors interested in developing a therapeutic, instructional website.

Method

Recruitment

Thirty-five mental health professionals familiar with cinematherapy were provided a survey asking them to rate the website www.cinemtherapy-4-kids.com on design, content, and usability. Participants were required to be licensed to practice counseling in their respective state, and have at least 20 hours of direct contact each week with clientele. Twenty-seven surveys were returned, resulting in a response rate of 77%.

The participants consisted of 15 female and 12 male clinicians, with ages ranging between 23 and 56. Seventeen reported working in a community mental health agency (63%), while the remaining 10 (37%) reported working in a university health department or rehabilitation center. Fifteen (56%) participants reported working with individuals or groups over the age of 18, and the remaining 12 (44%) reported working with children and families.

Instrument

            Content Validity Survey. A 10-item measure was created to elicit ratings on the design, content, and usability of the site www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com. Ratings were retrieved via a four-point, forced-choice Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (SA = 1) to strongly disagree (SD = 4). Participants were asked to review the website and then complete the evaluation. The items are as follows:

1. I feel that this site was designed in a manner that would make it useful to child & family counselors interested in cinematherapy.
2. I feel that the content on this site serves its intended purpose effectively.
3. I feel that there is sufficient cinematherapy information on this site to make it worth visiting.
4. I feel that this site is a useful resource for professionals interested in cinematherapy.
5. I feel that this website will serve a useful purpose in the counseling field.
6. I feel that I would refer other professionals interested in cinematherapy to this site.
7. I feel that this site would serve my needs/purposes if I needed a resource for child & family cinematherapy.

8. I feel that I would refer to this site if conducting child & family cinematherapy.

9. I feel that I would bookmark this site if I utilized child cinematherapy on a regular basis.

10. I feel that I would recommend a film listed on this site to a youth or family interested in greater psychological health.

Style and Design Checklist. Torres-Rivera, Maddux, and Phan (1999) created a list of style and design recommendations for website developers. The list contains 20 items, covering several problems that trouble Internet users. These recommendations are used in this study as a checklist to ensure that the site; www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com, incorporates each item and qualifies as a useful and effective instructional resource. The 20 recommendations are as follows:

1. A clear and complete identification of the name and address of the sponsor, located near the top of the page.
2. Prominent display of a headline near the top of the page giving the title of that page.
3. A short statement of the purpose of the site.

4. Pages of reasonable length, probably no longer than several screens in length. Extensive data should be “chunked” into many short files with hot links to each document located on the primary page.

5. A link back to the original page located at the bottom (in this case top) of all pages that are reached by choosing a link on the original page.
6. A link back to the top of all pages located at the bottom of each page.
7. Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling on all pages, and use of professional language at all times.
8. A link to the home page (if any) of the sponsoring organization.
9. Judicious use of images: Enough to be attractive, but not so many that the page takes excessive time to load over modems.
10. Small images that are actually links (clickable, thumbnail images) to any large images that can require long loading times over modems.
11. The number of bytes in the larger image displayed below clickable images as described above so that users can decide whether or not they wish to wait for the larger image to load.
12. All images programmed to display a name or description if the page is viewed with a browser that cannot display images.
13. Image maps used sparingly and always with an alternative list of links in case the page is viewed with a browser that cannot display image maps.
14. External links that are checked at least every few weeks to be sure they continue to work.
15. Pages that have been viewed in the most popular browsers (at least Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Lynx) to be sure that they are effective no matter which browser is used.
16. Footers on every page containing at least a link to the sponsor’s homepage, a link to the primary page (if secondary page), the URL (address) of the page itself, a hot email link (displaying the exact email address) for questions and comments, the name of the author of the page, and the date the page was last modified.
17. Graphics that are used only with permission of the owner or after assuring that they are not copyrighted and are in the public domain.
18. A “credits” section near the bottom of the page that gives a hot link to any sites where graphics have been obtained.
19. Frequently revised, up-to-date content that will motivate users to return frequently to the page.
20. TITLE and MEGA tags on all pages so that the viewer’s browser will display the title in the title line, and so that search engines will list the title and a clear, concise, and accurate description of the page.

    Results and Discussion

    Content Validity Data

    Data from the content validity survey was computed using tabulated response percentiles from individual items. Each item and the responses are analyzed below, and based on the results of the 10-item survey, www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com qualifies as a useful instructional design with strong content validity.

    Question 1. Twenty-two participants (81%) strongly agreed that the site was designed in a manner that would make it useful to child & family counselors interested in cinematherapy. The remaining five raters (19%) agreed with this statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 2. Nineteen participants (70%) strongly agreed that the content on the site serves its intended purpose effectively. The remaining eight raters (30%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 3. Seventeen participants (63%) strongly agreed that there is sufficient cinematherapy information on the site to make it worth visiting. The remaining 10 raters (37%)

    agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 4. Twenty-two participants (81%) strongly agreed that the site is a useful resource for professionals interested in cinematherapy. The remaining five raters (19%) checked agree. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 5. Seventeen participants (63%) strongly agreed that the website will serve a useful purpose in the counseling field. The remaining 10 raters (37%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 6. Twenty-one participants (78%) strongly agreed that they would refer other professionals interested in cinematherapy to this site. The remaining six raters (22%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 7. Nineteen participants (70%) strongly agreed that the site would serve there needs or purposes if they needed a resource for child & family cinematherapy. The remaining eight raters (30%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 8. Twenty participants (74%) strongly agreed that they would refer to this site if conducting child & family cinematherapy. The remaining seven raters (26%) agreed with the

    statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 9. Twenty-three participants (85%) strongly agreed that they would bookmark this site if they utilized child cinematherapy on a regular basis. The remaining four raters (15%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Question 10. Nineteen participants (70%) strongly agreed that they would recommend a film listed on this site to a youth or family interested in greater psychological health. The remaining eight raters (30%) agreed with the statement. No participants disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement.

    Style and Design Data

                The 20 style and design recommendations presented by Torres-Rivera, Maddux, and Phan (1999) were used as a checklist to ensure that the site; www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com, met adequate usability guidelines and is potentially effective as a web-based resource. Six of the 20 recommendations did not apply to this type of design (instructional, rather than business); thus, leaving 14 items for review. Thirteen of the possible 14 items met the authors’ recommendations, leaving item six (A link back to the top of all pages located at the bottom of each page) as the only recommendation not implemented on the website. Results indicate that Powell’s (2005) website meets adequate style and design recommendations.

    Conclusions and Suggestions

    Since professional counselors rely on others’ instruction to assist in professional development, they trust that information provided on a therapeutic website is legitimate. Caution; however, must be exercised when retrieving E-based content, because much of the information available on the Internet is potentially inaccurate (Green, Lawson, & Getz, 2005). A content validity evaluation; therefore, is imperative when designing an instructional website, because of the negative effects that inaccurate information could have on the therapeutic community. With numerous, potential uses of Internet-based tools existing for the practicing counselor (Cabaniss, 2002), inappropriate designs and invalid information will do nothing more than create significant restrictions with the use of the Internet and related technology in the counseling field.

    Furthermore, inaccurate information could damage the reputation of the counseling profession, or harm individuals that choose online self-help to satisfy their therapeutic needs. It is suggested; then, that instructional website developers conduct sound content validity evaluations, utilizing experts and professionals familiar with the subject matter, and provide viewers with this information online for quick referencing. Doing so will enhance the quality of a site’s subject matter, as well as its designer, which this author concludes will be the effect of appraising www.cinematherapy-4-kids.com.

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Author's Biography

Michael Lee Powell, M.S., NCC, LPC  Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center,  Fort Smith, AR