Cyber Therapy?

I chose to review “The Art of Blogging” by Kate Anthony, Counselling & Psychotherapy Journal, Nov 2004, Vol. 15 Issue 9, p38-39, 2p, 1c. The title of this article may lead one to believe it would include helpful information for potential new bloggers to hone their blogging skills. On the contrary, the article should be titled “The Art of Blogging in Counseling and Psychotherapy”, as the author aims “to demystify blogs, and show how important they may become for the profession and the future of therapy from theoretical, ethical and legal standpoints.” The author suggests that practitioners should use other avenues rather than the traditional face-to-face communication with their patients, such as the Blogoshere (the area in cyberspace used by bloggers). While the article provides an interesting and somewhat humorous insight into the prospect of using this form of counseling and psychotherapy, I can’t help to consider some disastrous effects.

First, my obvious reaction is that if a patient is unable to effectively communicate issues with their therapist, perhaps they should find a new one. But a much bigger concern is the type of feedback and advice users will receive. Another consideration would be a self-destructive personality my draw others into their world, or vise versa. The negative possibilities seem endless, but perhaps, if the therapist continually monitors the feedback and postings, this may be a viable alternative to traditional counseling session. However, the article provides little information on the research conducted to support the effectiveness of this form of therapy. Without additional trials and research on the concept, I would be cautious to have clients participate in this type of therapy.

Yvonne