The Psychotherapy Curriculum
Online Therapy: Clinical and Ethical Issues
Technology bites again to shape how we work. Hear an overview of the mechanics, legalities, ethical issues, and treatment modalities that seem to be best suited to online therapy.
Program Description
Is seeing a therapist online an oxymoron? Though the idea of “seeing” a therapist online doesn’t make immediate sense, e-therapy is most definitely finding its market. In 2000, more than 60,000 therapy sessions occurred over the Internet. That doesn’t include hundreds of therapists who offered clients private online chat or email sessions. The numbers continue to grow daily. Does this mean we should leap onto the bandwagon? Just because many are doing this, is it ethical? Is it efficacious? What do we need to know in order to begin making a decision?
In this program, we present an overview of the mechanics, legalities, ethical issues, and treatment modalities that seem to be best suited to online therapy.
Learning Objectives
This program provides clinicians with the opportunity to:
Appreciate the range of clinical uses (and misuses) of online therapy.
Learn how to find resources for clinicians and clients on the Web.
Develop awareness of the emerging theory underpinning online therapy and the requisite clinical skills, including communication, sociological, and clinical theory.
Be able to evaluate the use of psychodynamic psychotherapy online.
Recognize and appreciate the serious legal and ethical issues raised by online rherapy.
Learn about offering and receiving supervision online.
Become familiar with the use of rational emotive therapy online.
Interviews
Clinical Examples - Barbara Adams, M.S. ED, LPC
Here we present interviews with two therapists who are working exclusively or almost exclusively with clients online. First, Barbara Adams, M.S.Ed., LPC describes her clinical work.
Clinical Theories and Skills - Susan Mankita, LCSW
Is online therapy a form of therapy in its own right? Originally, it started out as a method of delivery of therapy, a means of communicating between two or more persons usually separated by large distances. The next two interviews continue our introductory interviews. These speakers present some of the emerging theory underpinning online therapy and the clinical skills necessary to do it. Susan Mankita, LCSW, who led AOL's Social Work Forum, presents some of the communication, sociological, and clinical theory.
Ethical Issues - Kathleen Murphy, Ph.D.
Kathleen Murphy, PhD addresses some of the serious legal and ethical issues raised by online therapy, including the problems, negatives, and real concerns about it. Then, we issue an appeal to our professional organizations and regulatory boards to begin developing guidelines and promoting research to address these issues.
Online Supervision - Allen Siegel, MD,
Dr. Allen Siegel began email supervision with a psychiatrist in Germany, who wished to learn about self psychology. In the first part of this interview, he describes how they developed a method where the psychiatrist submitted process recordings of her therapy sessions through email, and Dr. Siegel responded to her with didactic and clinical supervision. We interviewed him again for a follow up on how his work has been going. In addition to his work with the German psychiatrist, he describes his work with a group of psychiatrists in Turkey. This program includes samples of the email correspondence between him and his German supervisee, containing very detailed case process recordings from the supervisee and Dr. Siegel's remarks on those interviews.
Overview to Online Therapy - Michael Freeny, LCSW
Our first speaker, Michael Freeny, LCSW, offers a lively and humorous look at the range of clinical uses (and misuses) of the Internet. We'll learn how to find resources for ourselves and our clients on the Web, as well as how to plug in to this new medium.
Psychoanalytic Therapy Online - Kerry Sulkowicz, MD
Kerry Sulkowicz, MD shares his thoughts on and experience with the use of psychodynamic psychotherapy online.
Rational Emotive Therapy, Online - Richard Sansbury, PhD
Richard Sansbury, PhD presents his clinical work and innovative use of rational emotive therapy online.
“I really like this process, as it gives time to think about and reflect on these subject matters. I wouldn’t mind doing more of these to earn CEUs”
... Rami H.
LCSW