Online counseling: The internet and mental health treatment

The author asserts that the mental health profession is unprepared for the likely growth and related implications of mental health therapy delivered over the Internet. Clinical, ethical, and economic issues are addressed. Conclusions are that therapy can be done online, that it can be done ethically, and that online services might not be a serious threat to face-to-face therapy. Regulatory and professional organizations are strongly advised to cooperate with each other. Suggestions include how practitioners and educators might develop skills, how ethics and legislation might be coordinated, how research might be facilitated, and how certain support systems might be established.