Online Counseling Services: A Case Study

Great Essays
The Internet is a widely-used tool that is utilized by people of many different ages across the globe. The Internet provides opportunities for virtually anybody to easily gather information, connect with others, work, and even receive health services. With the rapidly increasing use and convenience of the Internet, it is understandable that many markets, especially those of the mental health services, are affected in some way. One major way the mental health services is affected is with the higher demand of online counseling services.
Online counseling is simply providing therapeutic services over the Internet. This can include the use of videoconferencing, online chats or messengers, emails, or any other means of working with a client
…show more content…
Rummell & Joyce (2010) highlighted several positive attributes to utilizing the Internet for therapeutic services. These benefits include accessing hard to reach clients, such as those who live rural areas where traveling to counseling sessions is difficult or even impossible, or working with clients who may be terminally ill or immobile and unable to physically visit a counselor face-to-face. Another positive mentioned is that counseling can be provided to those clients who do not live in an area that has a particular specialist. Individuals in remote or underserviced areas now have increased opportunities to access services while also providing more flexibility and convenience in scheduling (Harris & Birnbaum, 2015). Harris & Birnbaum (2015) also said that online counseling is also often more affordable, especially because there tends to be less administrative and overhead costs for service providers. Another positive that is contributed to online counseling is the reduce of the stigma that is traditionally associated with therapy services, helping individuals become more willing to accept counseling in the privacy of their own home. Overall, conducting online therapy is more convenient, flexible, and …show more content…
Factors such as compromised non-verbal cues and time lapses for events requiring immediate intervention can present major roadblocks to a therapist (Prabhakar, 2013). Because of this lack of nonverbal cues, online counseling may not be an appropriate service for individuals who are experiencing complex mental health issues, and these individuals may be better served by a face-to-face assessment (Harris & Birnbaum, 2015).
However, research shows that online therapies are effective and can be as effective and satisfying as in person sessions. The therapeutic alliance displayed in online counseling is overall comparable to that seen in a traditional counseling setting (Mishna, Bogo, & Sawyer, 2015). While the relationship of an online therapeutic relationship may display different qualities than that of a traditional counseling relationship, it is still possible to create an effective and working relationship

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Chapter eleven illustrates how the counseling profession began and its history, and how it has continued to improve and how it has revolutionized to its current status. Although there has been a lot of questions and significant ground work, counseling is now given the proper recognition and acceptance as a true form of treatment where talking has helped and made a difference as a form of treatment for emotional problems. During the early times, counseling professionals were not always viewed as counselors but rather perceived as teachers and social advocates. Many of the areas of focus involved education, employment, guidance and child welfare. There were many pioneers and visionaries that played a very important role in the development of…

    • 243 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Imagine going onto your favorite social media site after you had just posted a new photo of yourself. You see all of these positive comments about how beautiful you look, but you see this one comment saying something negative. You brush it off as nothing and continue on with your day, because the positive on it is more important than the negative. Social media is beneficial for a society. Social media is beneficial for society because relationships can form online, good for marketing and business, and it can help with mental health.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Counselor Identity Paper Annasthasia Corbin Liberty University Abstract This paper will summarize Kaplan & Gladding’s 2011 article A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The 20/20 Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession. The article discusses the background of the 20/20 principles that were listed in the Vision for the Future of Counseling.…

    • 844 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I first became interested in counseling when I was helping a friend with serious drug related problems and family problems seek help and counsel from advisors. Being just sixteen, I didn’t know how to help him efficiently and felt both powerless and helpless at trying to find adequate resources and services to help him deal with his problems. While I did eventually find counseling services and potential help for him, the effects of his psychological problems were so brutal that he committed suicide. This profound experience of losing a close friend to suicide forced me to develop a strong interest into understanding the role, guidance and motivations that leads people to such extremes. At this point, I had already cultivated the desire to…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Advantages Of Telenursing

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Telehealth nursing includes other health care professionals such as radiologist, pharmacist, and psychology. Advantages that patients may be faced with is that it will be more convenient through video, web chat, or phone. Workers are allowed to follow up on a prescription with a physician they have been working with for many years. Cost efficiency medical doctors are changing less for a telemedicine consultation than they would for an in person visit. Payers experience reduced cost when specialist are used more often to address patient conditions meaning that if the patient has direct contact with the right specialist this can eliminate increasing amount of admissions, transfers, and readmissions, and length of stays at…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In a survey that collects information from the general public on topics including health communication, perceptions and use of health- and cancer- related information, and attitudes and use of health information technologies, the study provided an update on these Healthy People 2020 objectives. From their analyses, the percentage of individuals reporting that they kept track of personal health information online increased from 11.9% to 28.1%, which exceeds the Healthy People 2020 target goal of 15.7%. With respect to the second objective, about 30% of individuals have used the internet to communicate with a health provider, twice as much as the target goal of 15%. At the same time, they also learned that certain sociodemographic characteristics,…

    • 139 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As both a consumer and professional in the health care industry, I must admit that the majority of my information collection and communication exists online. I utilize online resources to research both my health and my patient's health needs. Within the Veterans Health Care system I network with colleagues through online messaging at well as mass email network groups which includes Occupational Therapist's nationwide within each specialty. I've found social networking is also useful for information collection. According to Deloitte Health Solutions managers Keckley and Hoffmann (2010), organizations utilize online social media to collect reports of patient experiences, share public information about health, and connect with key stakeholders.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The eighth chapter of study covers the above website, which is titled “LGBT Mental Health Syllabus”. This website covers the sensitive issue of the lesbian, bisexual and gay community in relation to how they deal with mental and psychiatric conditions (LGBT mental health syllabus, 2015). This online site is a bit different as it begins by welcoming the reader and letting them know what is covered within this web page. Additionally, the site goes ahead to list the topics that are covered within this website so that the reader is able to easily navigate though the page without wasting time searching for a given topic. The topics covered are provided in the form of a link that re-directs the user to a given site where that topic is covered in…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Purpose Of NIMH

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1. What is the purpose of the NIMH? The purpose of the National Institutes of Mental Health is to conduct research in hopes finding a cure, treatment, prevention and better understanding of mental illness. 2.…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ACA Ethics Code Reflection Journal The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics is documented to establish minimal ethical responsibility as well as to cultivate, improve, promote, and guide the counseling profession in an aspirational approach to ethical practice (2014). The intent of this reflective journal is to summarize general themes in the code; additionally, I will disclose my personal responses and Biblical worldview as it relates to the ACA Code of Ethics. General Themes Themes incorporated in the ACA Code of Ethics are generalizations of related topics grouped into sections.…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through advancing technologies, medical patients are able to connect with their doctors in cyberspace. In her article, “Is Telemedicine Right for You,” Bisgaard-Fratzen introduces the advantages of telemedicine heath care; economical pricing and convenience. Coinciding with Bisgaard-Fratzen’s ideas, Raymond’s article, “Pros and Cons of Getting a Second Opinion Online,” elaborates on the effects of getting an online second opinion. Though telemedicine offers promising advantages, the modern technology exhibits some downfalls. Bisgaard-Fratzen and Raymond offer a range of appraisals concerning the controversies of telemedicine.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In mental health counseling collaborative services is important, it enhances the quality of service for a stable and long term recovery. In the recent article by Bachelor, A., Laverdière(2007) in their introduction they have stated that clients and counselors collaborations to be successful first the outcome goal has to be determined. In regards to collaborative services between therapists there has to be fundamental components of the therapeutic alliance, that will indicate the outcome (eHorvath & Bedi, 2002; Martin, Garske, & Davis, 2000).…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Article #1 Collier, Roger. “Mental health in the smartphone era.” CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1 Nov. 2016, p. 1141…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In completing a degree in Mental Health Counseling, one will learn theories and techniques of counseling. Not only this, but also learn to implement these learnings in a professional setting. After doing hours of research on the requirements of a Mental Health Counselor, I still felt very passionate and determined to accomplish my goal. I’ve personally faced a time of crisis after my traumatic brain bleed; I wanted so desperately for someone to just hear me so I didn’t feel so alone.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Historically, in the beginning psychologist would have to meet with their clients in person in order for the client to receive treatment. In modern times therapist are able to utilize technology to provide treatment to their clients from their office, while their client is still in the comfort in their own home. This has also been beneficial for clients who live in a rural area and have limited options in choosing a provider. Along with the advance of technology comes some ethical issues, some ethical issues include issues with contracting, competency, confidentiality, control, couples therapy, known third parties, and invisible third parties (Koocher, 2007). If psychologists are going to provide services to their client through telepsychology then new contracting forms must be developed that include electronic communication.…

    • 1933 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays