Online Therapy

According to an article I read, online therapy can be very shady.  Meaning that it can be questionable if you are not completely sure of the site you are directed too.  As we have found out, not everything is safe coming from the internet.

When one wants to conduct online therapy they must be licensed and can only practice in their own state, unless they have what is called a "guest license".  This only allows between 10 and 30 days of therapy outside of someone’s home state to conduct therapy.  "The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards has created a credential called the Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate that facilitates temporary practice in other jurisdictions" (DeAngelis. T., 2012).

Online therapy is getting more popular and there is different ways to conduct it via email. Skype and even video conferencing.  This helps the people who aren't able to get out of their homes so this is a positive way to receive therapy.  Guidelines are always necessary though no matter what.  This helps everything stay within legalities so that no one gets in trouble.  Remember to, “Periodically check your state legislature's website for the latest state telehealth laws and regulations. If there is no telehealth law in your state, look to see if there is a board policy statement that provides guidance on telepractice, she recommends" (DeAngelis, T., 2012).

Be sure to check your state laws when it comes to online therapy also.  Not all states are the same.  Some states haven’t even resorted to any form of online therapy as of yet while some states have passed laws on what the legal obligations are for that particular area when it concerns online therapy.  Referral to online therapy is suggested when it is because of someone’s phobia of leaving the home or another form of disability that makes it impossible for the patient to go into an office for therapy.  Things like written and verbal informed consent forms must be filled out and signed before any form of telehealth can even start.  This is important to protect everyone involved, from the therapist to the patient.  Remember, ANY system can be hacked so be very careful of information you give out on the internet.  “All of the standards of the APA ethics code apply” (Barnett, J, 2012).  This is good to know in the case that something should go wrong.

I’ve looked into three sites and the first would be EMental Health (www.proventherapy.com).   Within this particular site there are different ways to confer with a therapist.  You have text chat or voice chat; it is totally your decision as to how you want to conduct your therapy.  You have the option of paying per minute or per session and the site is fully digitally encrypted.  The fees are low and the therapists are all licensed and you are able to check and make sure that their license in intact.  With this site you can also chose which therapist better suits your needs either through their fee system or even how long they have been in the business.

The second site would be 7 Cups of Tea (www.7cupsoftea.com/).  This site claims to be completely free with trained listeners.  As you notice, I said “listeners” not “therapists”.  They also claim to delete all conversations and are anonymous.  They have many listeners to choose from and if you keep scrolling down their home page you will see that they also offer a therapist if that would make you feel better.  This form of therapy site would make me nervous.  One fact is nothing is ever completely erased from the internet, ever!  There are always trails that can be followed and another thing is that I would prefer someone who is trained and licensed to listen to me, not an “active listener”.  This could be your own Grandmother and you wouldn’t know it.  Is this an honest site?  Is it safe?  There is no way of knowing because their information is very sketchy and does not claim any kind of security beside that they delete all conversations.  If you are comfortable with something like this then I say to go for it but personally I would rather have it like the site I mentioned first.  I would want everything encrypted so that it would make it even more difficult for someone to hack into my personal business including my problems and even my credit card information.  Unless you can be sure that a site is completely safe I would suggest that you go to one that can be proven credible.  Any information can be sold over the internet, from your name to your social security number to your medical information.  Everything has a price and if the site is not safe, don’t offer your information.  Be safe always on the internet.