A Detailed Discussion on the Pros and Cons of Web Counseling

Numerous researches have quite clearly manifested that web counseling if combined with CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy can cure plenty of clinical issues. Also known as tele-counseling, cyberspace counseling, and e-therapy, the services are offered over the internet and include usage of video cameras chat rooms as well as emails. Now whether this particular form of treatment stands to be effective or not is entirely a subject of speculation.

In the following write-up, I have jotted down both the positive and negative aspects of web counseling. Readers out there are requested to buy some time and take a close look at the below-mentioned pointers.

Web Counseling: The Positives

• Web counseling has been capable of removing the social stigma associated with the overall notion of receiving psychotherapy treatments to a great extent. Individuals, who wish to avoid awkward interactions and queries from others can procure services over the internet in private without having to physically travel to the clinic. Counseling when executed by a person right from his or her room would make the experience even more agreeable. It would also allow the concerned client to feel less ashamed because no one like the administrative staff or others in the waiting room would be seeing or judging him/her.

• Online counseling is considered to be much more affordable when compared to the traditional sessions. This aspect tends to benefit both clients and therapists. For a client, he/she could acquire services at a much lower rate without really stepping out of the house, saving effort and money in the process. For a therapist, he/she would be able to successfully alleviate the overhead costs of property, capital, transport, and other management procedures. Now isn’t that simply great?
  

• According to the renowned psychologists offering Skype counseling, the quotient of accessibility has allowed it to garner such widespread popularity. These therapies overcome all kinds of barriers that could have prohibited people from seeking help. They are ideal for physically disabled especially the ones having hearing or visual impairments and have proven to be beneficial in encouraging teenagers or children to receive treatment because they seem more comfortable with the virtual world.

Web Counseling: The Negatives

• Common people and mental healthcare specialists have constantly questioned the efficacy of therapeutic interventions conducted online. Even though there is no definite evidence but many professionals are of the opinion that lack of direct communication could heighten risks of misdiagnosis and hamper wellbeing of the concerned patient. Many top-notch medical institutions have lately declared web counseling as inappropriate for diagnosing serious problems such as psychoticism and chronic depression.

• Technological difficulties stand to be another significant disadvantage of online therapy. People living in remote areas often face the issue of faltering transmissions and crashing servers as well as broken down network are also quite common these days. In addition, one could only be able to benefit from web counseling if he/she has the profound computer knowledge and skills. Such treatments often involve installation and learning of new hardware and software.

• Finally, yet importantly, web counseling is largely criticized for lacking significant elements such as verbal and non-verbal cues, which are necessary to gauge what the client is feeling and to identify the incongruences or discrepancies in his/her behavioral patterns. Online therapies do not take characteristics facial expression, voice tone, eye contact, and body language into account that tend to adversely impact the outcomes.

Now that you are aware of both the pros and cons of web counseling, it is up to you whether you would like to undertake the said form of treatment or not.