Greetings all,

First, the proposition that online counseling or e-therapy is detrimental to the fields of couseling or psychology is preposterous.

Second, online counseling or e-therapy are not inferior to the more traditional offline counterparts. There is no empirical data supporting such a contention. The two are certainly different. However, difference is not automatically inferior.

Third, for some clients and in some circumstances, online counseling or e-therapy are acually superior. This is certainly the case for many clients who suffer from addictive disorders such as substance abuse, problem gambling, and/or compulsive sexual behaviors. The anonymity and disinhibition that accompany online counseling make it far easier to attract and help many people whose fear of stigma keep them from availing themselves of traditional offline alternatives.

Fourth, cognitive behavioral therapies such as the Transtheoretical Model of stage-based behavioral change, Motivational Interviewing, and Relapse Prevention lend themselves quite well to online use.

Fifth, I suspect that those who earned their livings raising and selling horses for transportation were similarly dismissive of automoblles.