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E-Therapy: Fraudulent or For Real?

E-therapy, cyber-counseling, virtual counseling and online therapy are all terms for internet counseling. E-mail exchanges are utilized in this therapeutic modality to help empower people's lives. While telephone sessions may play a role in the process, the internet provides the primary infrastructure to support a client - therapist relationship which fosters growth and can dramatically increase the client's quality of life.
Pros: People often open up faster during internet exchanges than in face to face counseling. Writing about their feeling and thoughts can have a freeing effect, encouraging faster insight that an office setting.
The exchange of emails gives clients time to reflect on what they've written, and what the therapist has said in reply. This inherent time delay can be of great benefit in working through thoughts, feelings, decisions and beliefs.
The convenience of virtual therapy is no match for traditional face-to-face therapy. It is the first therapy that actually encourages clients to send messages to their counselors at any time of the day or night while writing as much or as little as they wish.
Getting out of the house to a face-to-face counseling session can sometimes be daunting. Parents of infants and small children have day care to contend with, and other people may find that certain emotional and physical conditions make travel difficult. Even if there are no professional counselors in the area, an online counselor can be available to help right away.
Unlike traditional therapy, online counseling provides a useful record of the counseling sessions. The e-mail exchanges allow the client and therapist to look back on their work together and evaluate it.
Traditional face-to-face therapy is significantly more expensive than e-therapy. Working online means all travel costs are eliminated. Additionally, therapists only charge for the time they spend reading a client's e-mails and writing back to them.
Cons: E-counselors can't see their client's body movements (facial expressions, twitches, etc.) that would normally prove useful in understanding what a client feels. This can lead to misunderstandings, and can make online counseling more difficult than face-to-face counseling for the therapist.
Online counseling clients must be willing and able to write out their thoughts and feelings with a considerable amount of clarity.
Online work is inappropriate for some clients, including people who are currently in crisis or feel suicidal, people with serious emotional problems; people under the age of 18.
E-counselors are unable to give formal diagnoses to their clients.
Online counseling has only been done for a few years. It is truly pioneering work, and a bit experimental in nature.
E-therapy is an empowering option using readily available technology to provide affordable, high-quality, convenient therapeutic services. It is wise to take care whenever choosing any type of counseling. Cyber-counseling is no different. It should not be avoided simply because it differs from traditional therapy, nor should anyone dive into it just because it is new. It is worth discovering more about this powerful tool to see if it might be a wise choice for you.

Article Source: http://www.articleadventure.com

Christy Cuellar-Wentz, M.A. is a radio host and an emotional health therapist passionate about providing support for the profound journey to new motherhood. She offers free weekly MP3 downloads filled with empowering ideas for new mothers as well as up-to-date information on postnatal depression, postpartum stress and baby blues.

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