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Running Head: ONLINE COUNSELING 1

Online Counseling

Name

Institutional Affiliation

ONLINE COUNSELING 2

Online Counseling

Online counseling refers to the internet-based provision of professional mental health

counseling services (Richards & Viganó, 2013). The activity takes place through a variety of

platforms such as video conferencing, real time chats, and emails among others. As this

practice grows, users have developed a trajectory of utilizing it with nutritional counseling as

well as the traditional psychotherapy. However, a significant number of people are now using

online counseling as a substitute for office visits.

Online counseling has also overtaken telepsychology because of the coming of the

video chat systems via the internet and the accelerated of the penetration of broadband in the

last two decades. Therefore, clients favor using online counseling with the available

professional psychologists to add to the traditional face-to-face sessions or as an autonomous

form of counseling.

Brief History of Online Counseling

Creativity had underlined the advent of the prospect of the internet for therapeutic

communication from 1972 when the internet was incepted. When the internet was made

public, the then popular self-help groups took advantage of the launch to develop even further

(Richards & Viganó, 2013). Martha Ainsworth is attributed to the development of online

counseling because her travel arrangements made it difficult for her to organize face-to-face

counseling sessions, making her seek viable alternatives online. However, because help was

not forthcoming, she found her clearinghouse called Metanoia. The foundation helped in the

development of online counseling such that from its inception in 1995, five years later it had

more than 250 and 700 private practices and online clinics respectively (Richards & Viganó,

2013). These websites made it easier for clients to contact professional counselors and to

date; the practice has only continued to grow from strength to strength, making it popular

among the contemporary society.

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Distinctions between the Traditional Counseling and Online Counseling

Brief History of Traditional Counseling

Human beings have always found comfort in sharing their problems with others in the

society because experience has taught humanity to take auxiliary precautions (Dowling &

Rickwood, 2013). The need for counseling was informed by the aspiration to help others

transition and overcome various difficulties in life. Therefore, it began within the family unit

with family members coming in to offer advice. With the strengthening of religion, the role

shifted to the religious setting and priests and vicars were then charged with the responsibility

of helping people (Lewis, Coursol, Bremer, & Komarenko, 2015). However, at this time in

history, the church often viewed mental illness as a kind of possession. It therefore resorted to

treatment that focused on the soul rather than the body, for instance by using methods like

exorcism.

There was a shift with the coming of the age of enlightenment during the industrial

revolution because populations became mobile and science set out to explain phenomena

rather than relying on the “regressive” religious points of view. This motivation led to the rise

of psychotherapy, which saw medical science taking over as the custodians of mental cases

and the discipline of psychiatry arising towards the conclusion of the 19th century (Dowling

& Rickwood, 2013). People like Jaques Lacan and Melanie Klein were instrumental in the

evolution of psychoanalysis. Liberalization in some parts of the world such as America

embraced the practice of analyzing people and their experiences. Finally, as the society

became more and more secular, so was the increase in seeking professional counseling.

The Major Differences between Online and Traditional Counseling

Setting

The setting of the two makes them appear worlds apart. On the one hand, traditional

counseling is based on face-to-face settings in which the clients seek services from the

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professionals, mainly in their offices. The professionals also have the liberty to visit their

clients in their homes, hospitals, schools, and prisons as circumstances are wont to dictate

(Dowling & Rickwood, 2013). On the other hand, however, there is no physical contact

between the counselor and the client in online counseling. Rather, the practice takes

advantage of the internet like via video conferencing, emails, and live chats for offering the

therapeutic and counseling services to the clients.

Anonymity

Closely tied to the difference in setting is the aspect of anonymity regarding the two

methods of counseling (Dowling & Rickwood, 2013). The traditional method has two

characters who know each other in person since they see one another in person. However, in

online counseling, as much as it is obligatory for the professional and the client to introduce

themselves, they often remain anonymous since the neither the client nor the professional

gets to meet and know the other in person.

Communication

The communication in online counseling is a significant departure from the channel

employed in the conventional method. In the traditional scenario, the sessions rely on verbal

(word of mouth) as the fundamental channel of communication (Stommel & Te Molder,

2015). Additionally, it also employs the use of nonverbal cues that the counselor can interpret

and make meaning of what the clients are telling them. On the other hand, however, online

counseling relies on the modern channels of communication in electronic and digital forms.

As much as some methods in online sessions also employ the verbal method, it is imperative

to note that such communication does not take place one-on-one; rather, it has to be relayed

via a secondary channel.

The Process of Online Counseling

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The process poses one of the biggest differences between these two methods, even

though they share some intrinsic values and traits because of the setting and contexts where

they are held. The initial disclosure succeeds signing up in which the client fills forms on

personal information, correspondence, and payment details (if applicable). After signing up

and agreeing to terms of service, the client does the initial declaration by writing an email or

contacting the professional via an alternative platform. The following stage is an in-depth

exploration in which the client becomes open to the counselor and tells him or her all the

problems, issues, questions or dilemmas (Stommel & Te Molder, 2015). This enables the

professional to put into perspective what is at stake. The third stage is the commitment to

action, where the counselor has diagnosed the problem and tells the client what to do to

overcome their problems. The client then commits to follow the steps laid down by the

counselor on the path to recovery. At this stage, the counselor remains in close contact with

the client through planned sessions at agreed intervals and monitors the progress made to the

conclusion of the program (Stommel & Te Molder, 2015). After both parties are satisfied and

the patient recovers, the counselor takes some time before doing a follow up to see how the

client is progressing.

Theories and Approaches Used in Online Counseling

Humanistic Approaches

Online counselors care most about the present circumstances of their clients and

helping them realize their highest potential. Rather than the energy spent on negative conduct

or the past, online counseling focuses on the goodness of their clients and stress a client’s

self-growth and actualization (Brooke, 2017). Consequently, they employ intrinsic theories

such as gestalt, client-centered, and existential therapies.

Holistic/Integrative Therapy

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This method is used by both the online and the traditional methods of counseling. It

entails an integrative approach that includes various elements of dissimilar theories to their

practice. In a departure from the traditional talk therapy, the online adherents often include

non-traditional therapies like guided imagery and hypnotherapy (Brooke, 2017). Their main

objective is to employ the psychotherapy tools and techniques that are best suited for a

particular problem faced by the client.

Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic Theory

This theory traces its origin to Sigmund Freud who held the belief that there are

inherent unconscious forces that control human behavior. For instance, he suggested

techniques like free association, dream analysis, and transference. These techniques are still

even used today by the online counselors by allowing the clients to talk freely to the

counselor so that they understand and put everything concerning the client into perspective

and find the right treatment (Brooke, 2017).

Cognitive Theory

Cognitive therapy, which is practiced by many online counselors tend to focus more

on their present situation of the client and distorted thinking rather than on their past. They

achieve this by combining it with behavioral therapy (Brooke, 2017). There is proven

evidence of the success of this kind of theory in helping with the quick recovery of the

clients. However, it is a method that is used in the traditional method of counseling, rather

than being a special preserve of online counseling.

The Pros of Online Counseling

Affordability

Online service is a known affordable means to acquire professional counseling. The

therapist charges are lower compared to a therapist with known services establishments. The

reason is that the therapist does not require to rent out commercial properties as the service

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can be offered from his/her private home or room. The client saves on commuting charges

and other rates.

Avoidance of Social Shame

Online counseling offers a means to avoid humiliation and shame associated with

physically walking into a counseling center (Brooke, 2017). The stigma associated with

visiting a counseling center does have a play part on a client who would wish to avoid it.

Online counseling offers privacy and reduces to zero the chance for the stigma to clients.

Convenience

Online counseling offers both the client and the therapist the freedom of

correspondence at any time of convenience. This allows proper planning for the client and

ease of service access.

The Cons of Online Counseling

Lack of Face-to-Face Interaction

Online counseling denies counselor an opportunity to interact face to face with their

clients. Research, however, shows that face-to-face communication is the most effective way

to gauge a client feelings and response to counseling (Haberstroh, Barney, Foster, & Duffey,

2014).

Success of the Services

Online counseling cannot be proven effective, as there is no one on one encounter

involving a client and therapist (Haberstroh, Barney, Foster, & Duffey, 2014). The

effectiveness of a service devoid of this crucial link is uncertain.

Cultural Variances

Researchers have found that different cultures from around the world approach and

counsel severe depression patients differently (Haberstroh, Barney, Foster, & Duffey, 2014).

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The online counseling services cannot be deemed accustomed to all cultures of clients they

provide services to.

Ethics Set by Online Counseling

There are various major challenges expected in the provision of professional online

counseling. Online counseling does not offer enough proof that the practitioner is duly

qualified and certified to offer professional service. This exposes clients to risk of falling to

online crooks pretending to offer bonafide services (Haberstroh, Barney, Foster, & Duffey,

2014). Since there are no known ways to ascertain qualifications and experiences of the

practitioner, the client would suffer quality services.

The client is not protected from the age-old tradition of doctor client confidentiality.

The client risks his data being access by anybody with tech knowledge unless the service

provider continuously upgrades the security of the system all the time (Kahn, 2016). This

continuous upgrade is costly, and it cannot, therefore, be assumed that the system is always

up to date to prevent invasion. Authorized access to the system can expose all the data of the

clients to the wide web thus breaking the trust the clients has for the online services.

Since online services are offered in a chat room and not in a one on one private room,

there are various problems that may occur that limit the quality services a client gets (Kahn,

2016). In case of network, breakdowns or the client lacks computer skills; the client will not

get a quality service. Online services have no borders, this, therefore, means that an online

service provider is not accredited to operate in all countries. This borderless service provision

lacks checks and balances excised and observed in various countries. A service that is not

designed and mindful of different cultures in the world is what a client is to find online.

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References

Brooke, S. L. (2017). Combining the Creative Therapies with Technology: Using Social

Media and Online Counseling to Treat Clients. Charles C Thomas Publisher.

Dowling, M., & Rickwood, D. (2013). Online counseling and therapy for mental health

problems: A systematic review of individual synchronous interventions using chat.

Journal of Technology in Human Services, 31(1), 1-21.

Haberstroh, S., Barney, L., Foster, N., & Duffey, T. (2014). The ethical and legal practice of

online counseling and psychotherapy: A review of mental health professions. Journal

of Technology in Human Services, 32(3), 149-157.

Kahn, J. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,374,394. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark

Office.

Lewis, J., Coursol, D. H., Bremer, K. L., & Komarenko, O. (2015). Alienation among college

students and attitudes toward face-to-face and online counseling: Implications for

student learning. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 14(1), 28.

Richards, D., & Viganó, N. (2013). Online counseling: A narrative and critical review of the

literature. Journal of clinical psychology, 69(9), 994-1011.

Stommel, W., & Te Molder, H. (2015). Counseling online and over the phone: When

preclosing questions fail as a closing device. Research on language and social

interaction, 48(3), 281-300.

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