What is Online Counseling?

Online counseling is a proven new way to both provide and to participate in professional mental health services over the Internet. Just as with face-to-face therapy, online counseling is provided by licensed, experienced therapists with expertise in a variety of mental health related areas.

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Who should use online counseling?

For many people, professional mental health services are simply not available, or are difficult to access. This is true for a number of reasons. For others, the convenience, time savings, or affordability of online counseling are important considerations. Other attractions of online counseling include privacy, ease of access, greater comfort with written, rather than face-to-face interaction, time to reflect on and absorb communications, or the ability to better pace counseling work by email. If any of these reasons apply to you, or perhaps others I haven’t mentioned, and if you are at least moderately comfortable with computers and with written communication, you could easily benefit from online counseling.

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How much does it cost?

Online counseling is very affordable, especially when compared to traditional, office-based counseling. Please see the fees page for more detailed information on fees and payments.

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When is online counseling not appropriate?

If you are in a crisis situation, such as actively planning suicide, other physical danger, or serious illness requiring immediate attention, online counseling is not appropriate for you. You should cal your local crisis hotline, 911, or other trusted capable adult. Also, if you are a minor, online counseling without written parental consent is not appropriate.

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Does online counseling really work?

Online counseling is a relatively new development in the conduct of therapy, and has been around for the past 10 years or so, keeping pace with the rapid expansion of everything online. The short answer is “yes”, it really works. Many people are becoming more and more comfortable with the Internet, including communicating about every imaginable subject. This includes very personal subject matter. As people become even more comfortable online, e-therapy will continue to expand, and to reach those who might never have approached counseling before.

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Isn’t online counseling too impersonal?

The short answer here is “no”. This may seem counter-intuitive, but experience clearly shows that a great deal of emotional content can be communicated online, or, more broadly, in writing generally. This reality allows for a genuine online therapeutic relationship to be formed between counselor and client. It is this relationship that is known to be responsible for most of the benefit of therapy. This should come as no surprise, since it is also well known that online relationships occur in many other healthy arenas as well.

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Are my therapy sessions kept confidential?

Absolutely yes. This is why it is so important to use an encrypted email and chat platform. Also, it is the counselor’s obligation to protect the computer she or he works on, just as it is the client’s responsibility to protect his or her computer. For this reason, it is inadvisable for a client to use a computer at work for email counseling, since these computers are available to employers and possibly to other employees as well. Please see the Privacy page for more details on confidentiality in counseling.

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How do I know online counseling can help me with my problems?

Online counseling is not for everyone, nor can it work well with every kind of emotional or psychological distress. Serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, anti-social personality disorder, or active suicidality for example, cannot be successfully treated online. For a broad spectrum of other concerns, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, anger, grief and loss, sexuality issues, spirituality concerns, or abuse, trauma, and addiction recovery, to name a few, online counseling can be very helpful. Sometimes this is in conjunction with other healing modalities, such as medication, or additional complementary therapies or self-help programs. A client’s motivation is a key factor in successful counseling.

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When can I send an email?

Part of the beauty of online counseling, from the client’s point of view, is that the counselor is “available” virtually 24/7. Emails can be sent any time of the day or night, at your convenience, and they will be received, studied and responded to within a short period of time. This factor alone is motivation enough for some online counseling users, but everyone benefits from this accessibility.

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Useful online links to Mental Health Issues:

www.helpguilde.org  - A good, non-commercial site for info on mental health topics, healthy lifestyles, and aging well.

Metanoia – Lots of in-depth info on online counseling, for both clients and therapists. Check it out!

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – National phone hotline and website for people who are thinking of killing themselves. Call and talk with a trained counselor now, 1-800-273-8255

International Society for Mental Health Online – A good site for matters related to mental health issues and the Internet.

National Mental Health Association – Large national non-profit agency for mental health education, information, advocacy, programs, and news.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – US government resource center for substance abuse and mental health information.

www.Hopeforhealing.com  – Women/Men recovering from sexual abuse, incest and domestic violence.

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