Online counseling
Encyclopedia
Online counseling is the provision of professional mental health
counseling services concerns via the Internet. Services are typically offered via email
, real-time chat
, and video conferencing. Some clients use online counseling in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy
, and a growing number of clients are using online counseling as a complete replacement to traditional office visits.
While some form of tele-psychology
has been going for over 35 years , the advent of internet video chat systems and the increasing penetration of broadband
has resulted in a growing movement towards online therapy. Clients are using videoconferencing, synchronous chat and asynchronous email with professional psychologists in place of or in addition to face-to-face meetings.
Online counseling is also filling the unmet need for clients located in areas traditionally under-served by traditional counselors. Rural residents and expats along with under-served minorities often have an easier time finding a suitable therapist online than in their local communities. These access issues are solved with online counseling resources and result in clients receiving culturally or linguistically relevant treatment that they would not have otherwise been able to receive. African Americans tend to have an elevated rate of stress-related diseases and have lower access to traditional face-to-face treatments.
Online counseling has also been shown to be effective for clients who may have difficulty reaching appointments during normal business hours. Additionally, research is demonstrating that online counseling may be useful for disabled and rural people that traditionally under-utilize clinical services.
or a psychotic episode might be better served by traditional face-to-face methods. Although further research may prove otherwise.
Cohen and Kerr conducted a study on the effictiveness of online therapy for treatment of anxiety disorders in students and found that there was no difference in the level of change for the two modes as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
As the main goal of counseling is to alleviate the distress, anxiety or concerns experienced by a client when he or she enters therapy, online counseling has strong efficacy under that definition. Client satisfaction surveys tend to demonstrate a high level of client satisfaction with online counseling, while the providers sometimes demonstrate lower satisfaction with distance methods. Researchers have suggested that counseling professionals themselves are more critical of newer technologies than their clients.
have suggested that online counseling cannot be considered psychotherapy, while scientific journals such as The Lancet have published studies that demonstrate that online cognitive behavioral therapy is as effective as traditional "in-person" therapy for the treatment of depression. Over 30 years ago, when distance technology first made an appearance in the research literature, similar complaints were lodged against telephone therapy. However a 2000 study established that over 98% of psychologists who were members of the American Psychological Association
used the telephone as a regular means of therapy, including 69% who conducted psychotherapy on the telephone and 79% who used it for emergency consultations. A 2003 study concluded that telephone therapy outcomes were not significantly different from face-to-face therapy.
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
counseling services concerns via the Internet. Services are typically offered via email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, real-time chat
Online chat
Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
, and video conferencing. Some clients use online counseling in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, and a growing number of clients are using online counseling as a complete replacement to traditional office visits.
While some form of tele-psychology
Telephone counseling
Telephone counseling refers to any type of psychological service performed over the telephone. Telephone counseling ranges from individual, couple or group psychotherapy with a professional therapist to psychological first aid provided by para-professional counselors...
has been going for over 35 years , the advent of internet video chat systems and the increasing penetration of broadband
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
has resulted in a growing movement towards online therapy. Clients are using videoconferencing, synchronous chat and asynchronous email with professional psychologists in place of or in addition to face-to-face meetings.
Benefits
The growing body of research into online counseling has established the efficacy of online therapy with treatment outcomes at least equal to traditional in-office settings. Online therapy has additional benefits unrealized by office-based treatments as it allows the patient to attend sessions at a a higher rate than traditional sessions. The number of missed appointments is much less than with in-person therapy. There is some research to suggest that online counseling is more effective because a client is at greater ease and feels less intimidated than they would in traditional settings. This makes clients more likely to be honest and thus allow the counselor to provide better treatment.Online counseling is also filling the unmet need for clients located in areas traditionally under-served by traditional counselors. Rural residents and expats along with under-served minorities often have an easier time finding a suitable therapist online than in their local communities. These access issues are solved with online counseling resources and result in clients receiving culturally or linguistically relevant treatment that they would not have otherwise been able to receive. African Americans tend to have an elevated rate of stress-related diseases and have lower access to traditional face-to-face treatments.
Online counseling has also been shown to be effective for clients who may have difficulty reaching appointments during normal business hours. Additionally, research is demonstrating that online counseling may be useful for disabled and rural people that traditionally under-utilize clinical services.
Effectiveness
Some in the psychology community have argued that online therapy can never replace traditional face-to-face therapy. Research from G.S. Stofle and J. suggests that online counseling would benefit people functioning at a moderatly high level. Severe situations such as suicidal ideationSuicidal ideation
Suicidal ideation is a common medical term for thoughts about suicide, which may be as detailed as a formulated plan, without the suicidal act itself. Although most people who undergo suicidal ideation do not commit suicide, some go on to make suicide attempts...
or a psychotic episode might be better served by traditional face-to-face methods. Although further research may prove otherwise.
Cohen and Kerr conducted a study on the effictiveness of online therapy for treatment of anxiety disorders in students and found that there was no difference in the level of change for the two modes as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
As the main goal of counseling is to alleviate the distress, anxiety or concerns experienced by a client when he or she enters therapy, online counseling has strong efficacy under that definition. Client satisfaction surveys tend to demonstrate a high level of client satisfaction with online counseling, while the providers sometimes demonstrate lower satisfaction with distance methods. Researchers have suggested that counseling professionals themselves are more critical of newer technologies than their clients.
Controversy
There is a split between within the counseling field on the validity of online counseling. Some practitionersPsychiatric and mental health Nurse Practitioner
An Advanced Practice Psychiatric/Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner, PMHNP, provides a wide range of services to adults, children, adolescents, and their families in a primary care facility, outpatient mental health clinic, psychiatric emergency services, private practice, or in a hospital or...
have suggested that online counseling cannot be considered psychotherapy, while scientific journals such as The Lancet have published studies that demonstrate that online cognitive behavioral therapy is as effective as traditional "in-person" therapy for the treatment of depression. Over 30 years ago, when distance technology first made an appearance in the research literature, similar complaints were lodged against telephone therapy. However a 2000 study established that over 98% of psychologists who were members of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
used the telephone as a regular means of therapy, including 69% who conducted psychotherapy on the telephone and 79% who used it for emergency consultations. A 2003 study concluded that telephone therapy outcomes were not significantly different from face-to-face therapy.