Online Counseling - Is It For You?
August 15th, 2008 by Dave Turo-Shields, LCSW, CEC
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It is said that nearly one in twenty adults in the United States of America have some or the other degree of mental health issues. While for most of us it could range from common phobias and fears, others could have more serious problems. But not everybody will readily admit that they need professional counseling to help them deal with their issues.
Some could be in denial while still others could be plain embarrassed. At times like these, when offline counseling is not a viable option, one could consider what has come to be known as online counseling. Online counseling, as the name suggests is counseling offered by professional practitioners online. It could take the form of e-mail correspondence, chat sessions, voice calls or even video conferencing over the Internet.
There are several pros and cons of online counseling. First, let us tackle the pros. Online counseling is an easy, convenient and affordable way of seeking professional help and guidance. You can do so at your time, your convenience and best of all with a certain degree of anonymity.
Online counseling is especially useful if you are easily embarrassed or maybe you live too far for it to be convenient to travel to appointments. You can literally do online counseling while sitting outside your office enjoying lunch.
Some struggle so much that they often cannot function or leave their homes. Online counseling is a great fit for this type of person. However, there are many reasons to access an online counselor. One example is a high profile client within their community who’d rather not have anyone know they are seeking help. This person could work with someone several states away or even from a different country if you’d prefer that.
But online counseling has its cons as well. The anonymity that the net offers you could in fact prove to be a liability. Unless the online counseling you undertake is from a credible source, you could be taken for a ride. The so called professional providing you with online counseling could very well be a student out to make some money on the side. While the quality of online counseling you might get from such a person will necessarily not be the best, it could in fact do more harm than good.
Even reputed online counseling professionals, who are otherwise good, might indulge in underhand practices. Like providing multiple online counseling sessions to several people while charging each of them exclusive rates. And finally, the nature of the internet, and especially of information transmitted over it, could prove to be a threat to your online counseling experience. Care must be taken to ensure that your personal information does not fall into untrustworthy hands.
Whatever you choose however, do remember that online counseling is one of the ways in which you could help yourself or a loved one deal with issues. Use it with care as you would any other medical or mental treatment. And there is no reason why you should not benefit from online counseling.
