Online Marriage Counseling - part 1
by Shelly Phegley
The Internet has revealed itself as a mediator between therapists and clients as online counseling websites surface all over the web. Online counseling, sometimes called E-therapy or cyber-counseling, is when a professional offers emotional support and advice over the Internet. Possible mediums of communication include e-mail, instant messenger, or Internet phone.
Prior to the popularization of the Internet and the World Wide Web, on-line self-help groups existed in the 1980's in the form of computer bulletin boards systems (BBS). The success of the aforementioned are thought to be the precursors to modern online counseling. The earliest known organized service to provide mental health advice online was "Ask Uncle Ezra," a free service (to this day) offered to students of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
Advocates of contemporary online counseling claim it is effective when traditional means of counseling are unavailable, i.e. one lives in a remote location or has financial restraints and issues. For some people, the anonymous and private reality of online counseling is very appealing. A benefit of online counseling for the counselor includes no office space to rent and email relations that allow a convenient response time. Online counselors agree E-therapy is not for people who exist in a state of crisis and further, one must be comfortable writing and expressing their emotions with the written word. Some people who have tried e-therapy say it's a little like keeping a journal. You can write at length, and explore your thoughts and feelings. Online counseling costs, on average, about $40 per session.
Have you ever stayed awake at night stressing about whether or not your marriage will last ... And what can you possibly do to save it?
Put an end to the stress and anxiety of not knowing what to do to save your troubled marriage! And discover proven methods to getting your marriage back on track.
Even if you are the only one who wants to work on it!
Check it out now!
Critics of online counseling argue that it will never replace traditional, face-to-face relationships. These critics state that online counseling does not afford a therapist the ability to interpret their clients' body language, facial cues, and tone of voice-since all of these aspects are absent in an online counseling session. Online counseling, some protest, lacks the integrity of the relationship formed between a client and therapist. Additionally, psychotherapy across state lines becomes a grey area in regards to state licensure. In Minnesota, for example, the license restricts therapists to business conducted only in Minnesota. The majority of liability insurance companies will cover online work as long as it is conducted within the bounds of the psychologist's license. Thus far, there have been no legal challenges.
Because online counseling is a relatively new form of therapy, regulations have yet to be established. The International Society for Mental Health Online (http://www.ismho.org/) has published ethical guidelines to assist professionals in the development of ethical e-counseling practices.
Read the end of
Online Marriage Counseling
Related Articles: Marriage Counseling-Make Time For Your Relationship By Avoiding Urgency Addiction Marriage Counseling: Seven Tips For A Great Family Vacation MARRIAGE COUNSELING--How Is the Health Of Your Relationship? How A Marriage Counseling Secret Can Save Your Marriage Marriage Counseling: What Do Wives Really Want In A Husband? Part One |
Related Questions: Other resources for Online Marriage Counseling Is there a free online marriage counseling site? What do you think of online marriage counseling? |
Back from Marriage Counseling Articles
to Marriage Counseling Articles Directory