Re:information online therapy

Joop,

I am not angry about on line psychotherapy. I am merely stating a fact; On Line Psychotherapy is unethical and can be illegal. Discussing ethics of on line psychotherapy is appropriate. Professional codes of ethics from both the NASW, APA, etc. are all based on feelings, feelings and thoughts of clients can be harmed if psychotherapists do not follow ethics, which is the primary reason for ethics.

Case in point. Let's say an on line psychotherapist engages in a psychotherapeutic relationship with an adolescent who uses mommy's or daddy's credit card. Psychotherapist has no way of knowing if this person is an adult or a child. Mommy finds out months later, finds out that a psychologist or social worker has been doing psychotherapy on her kid without getting informed consent, and without her permission. How do you think mommy is going to feel about that? Mommy then proceeds to sue said psychotherapist for doing therapy on her kid without her permission. Subsequently, therapist gets sued, maybe a complaint filed against at state licensing board AND the licensing board that the kid lives in, hence therapist maybe has two states breathing down therapists neck, etc. etc. etc.

Here's another example - one of your new clients who you are engaging in on line psychotherapy with also has been also seeing a therapist in person for several years. Said therapist has worked years with client, and now client is getting therapy from two therapists. Having two therapists at the same time can also be unethical, one therapist may be undoing what the other is trying to accomplish.

Another problem, a therapist is in California is giving someone in Minnesota psychotherapy. Or all 50 states for that matter. Is said therapist licensed in all 50 states? What about interstate trade violations, not to mention state licensing issues.

There are many many possible ethical dilemmas here. This is just the tip of the ice burgh, I could go on but not much time. At any rate, are you willing to risk your license, a lawsuit on this? Because I recently happened upon a web site where the organizers are actually recruiting clients to have on line psychotherapy for test lawsuit cases against psychotherapists, to deal with this illegal practice. Methinks you are going to see lots of on line therapists sued for doing on line psychotherapy in the coming years. If I was psychotherapist who has been doing therapy on line, I would start to worry and re think this practice. Because I believe that suing on line shrinks could end up being a profitable money making venture for clients in similar to the above situations.

Replies:

Re: problems with online therapy, by Jim Pretzer, 04/02/03 Behavior Therapy in the Digital Age, by Jim Pretzer, 04/04/03

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