Thursday, Indianapolis, Indiana

The news of the day is filled with stress producing events. Gas is four dollars a gallon, the war in Iraq has no end, the economy is tanking and health care costs are sinking families. The stress is getting unbearable. But where can people find relief? While many are helped by available medications, most just try to suck it up and endure the pressures of modern life.

If you speak with any mental health professional they will tell you that only a fraction of those who need counseling help actually get it. Despite the fact that we have record numbers of people suffering treatable depression and anxiety due to stress, few get the help they need. Among the reasons is the lingering stigma of therapy. You know, the cliche notion that seeking help means that you are “crazy.” So rather than getting emotional relief, people opt to suffer in silence.

Some experts see a hopeful possibility in the new technologies that could combine professional help with the attractive feature of privacy that comes with online interactions. In fact there has been an explosion of counseling and therapy services offered online. Internet therapy sites have sprung up over the past five years and now number near 400. The idea promises to help those too timid to seek help in person. There is little evidence so far about how effective online psychological treatment can be. The most significant concern is assuring the professional competence of the counselors who would be interacting with vulnerable people.

While online treatment is better than no treatment at all, the preferable approach to emotional problems is a face-to-face encounter with a reputable therapist. It is in the relationship that counselors cultivate with patients that is a central factor in recovery process. While a relationship can be forged online, it does not have the same power as an in-person experience.

 

Is your online therapist is ethical and qualified? Look for these signs:


1. When you inquire about your therapist’s credentials they ask you why that matters to you?

2. The therapist’s biography mentions that he works part-time as a nightclub ventriloquist.

3. The educational background of your counselor just says “The School of Hard Knocks.”

4. In response to your description of a panic attack, the therapist suggests a glass of bourbon.

5. After describing your depression, the therapist responds with “LOL.”

6. After 3 online sessions, your therapist shows up at your house.

7. After 2 months of treatment you discover that the therapist is secretly emailing your mother.

8. Your therapist suggests a video chat session and he appears on screen with mohawk haircut and tiny, decaying teeth.

9. To pay for treatment your counselor insists on money orders sent to an address in Costa Rica.

10. The therapist suggests that you prepare for a marital confrontation by role playing the event with your dog.