With the fast ever, growing technology, most of us are aware of the convenience it brings. We all love it because it provides efficiency and a fast turnaround of productivity. Aside from that, technology caters greatly in terms of medical assistance, particularly counseling and therapy.
Source: pixabay.com
What’s Great About E-Therapy?
Convenience, Flexibility, And Easier Access
Of course, the best part of e-therapy is convenience. It is widely accessible. As long as we have a laptop, tablet, or mobile device connected to the internet, we can already secure an appointment with a mental health professional with less hassle. Since the counseling method requires less personal interaction, the process is more affordable than the traditional one. We won’t have to pay extra charges for transportation, for that matter. Aside from that, we can feel more comfortable because we can avail of the said treatment without leaving our houses and work with a professional on our own terms.
E-therapy, like traditional one, requires interaction with a specialist. Though it is done virtually, it can still be as effective in treating mental health issues as in person. E-therapy still ensures that the process of the treatments caters to the needs of individuals dealing with social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and other mental health disorders.
Source: pixabay.com
Virtual counseling or e-therapy is proven to support many struggling individuals, especially those with a busy schedule, those who live in rural areas, and those with physical limitations. E-therapy offers relatively quick treatments that might not have been readily accessible or available in specific areas otherwise. The online treatment can instantly have room for clients whenever or wherever they are and is set up to virtually accommodate individuals of all abilities.
Why E-Therapy Sometimes Fails
Given all the benefits and advantages of online therapy, it is still not set to perfection. It still requires a lot of trial and error to convince 100 percent of the world’s population to switch to e-therapy.
Source: pixabay.com
Some experts believe that e-therapy can be subject to failure due to the lack of body language and the unavailability of facial expressions. Since one of the most common practices of e-therapy is chatting or texting with a professional, some experts say that written speech or messages can get lost in translation. Clearly, when clients and professionals develop issues in cross purposes without realizing it, the entire conversation or e-therapy process inevitably becomes weak and somehow worthless.
A brief explanation as to why e-therapy fails is due to the limited contact of clients with their professional therapist or counselor. It can be the first indication of how unsafe an e-therapy service can be. When clients only have information about their professional advisor besides submitted documents they have limited access to online, the connection might fail to provide deceptive assistance.
Clients who fail to check and investigate the assisting professional’s credentials might encounter fraud and get scammed. Clients knowing that their therapist or counselor resides in a different part of the world does not guarantee any inch of quality services and ethical standards. There is no assurance that the professional will uphold ethical duty since some rules do not apply to their respective residence or countries.
Another reason e-therapy fails is the constant violation of the ethical code of treatment on small to large scales. It means there is already a possibility that we already experienced slander that inflicts harm on our already damaged mental health problems. And since client-therapist confidentiality conceals the professional remarks, we will never find out about it, regardless of how much we attempt to try. There is no specific person to blame, and even some agencies won’t be able to help when we get victimized.
Source: pixabay.com
The issue of failed e-therapy becomes obvious when a counselor or therapist has been proven to act out unethically but is outside the area or country’s jurisdiction; there’s no assurance of justice. That is regardless of the damages the professionals have caused us. Thus, that is to say, these professionals causing damages instead of helping treat mental health problems can evade consequences and still can continue providing services to clients through e-therapy processes. They have their victims at an unfair disadvantage.
Things To Consider
The only thing the higher-ups can do is encourage individuals to choose wisely with the treatment they want for their mental health struggles. There is not much anyone can do when it comes to insufficient and unrealizable e-counseling or e-therapy services as clients decide whether they want to take the risk or not.
As for clients like us who want to take advantage of the online therapy system, we might have to spend more time understanding the process, especially when handling confidential information. We need to be more aware of technology to utilize the e-therapy or e-counseling function to a safe degree.