Online Chat Counseling Limitations
Online counseling is not a substitute for traditional psychotherapy. If
you can visit a therapist in person, you should. But if you
can’t visit a therapist’s office, online counseling can be a helpful
and effective alternative if:
- You don't have access nearby.
- You are nervous or embarrassed about
trying counseling.
- There are cost factors or other
barriers to traditional psychotherapy.
In these
situations, chat counseling can be helpful.
There are limitations, however, that you should be
aware of:
-
Non-verbal communication is limited
without face-to-face interaction.
-
Written
communication is occasionally more difficult to express and
comprehend.
-
If you have slower
typing skills, you may find your 50-minute session insufficient in
covering all of your concerns, but even in live, traditional
settings, many clients feel that this is the case.
Online
counseling, however, is not for everyone. And, as with any new frontier,
there are some issues you should consider before trying it. But even so,
there is a basic truth: every day, responsible, competent, ethical
mental health professionals are forming effective helping relationships
via the Internet--relationships that help and heal.
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