Contemporary issues of ethical e-therapy

Abstract

E-therapy is fast becoming an inevitable addition to counseling due to the increased use and accessibility, the internet and advances in e-therapy technology in the U.S. With the growth of any method of treatment, awareness of ethical concerns regarding best practices is a necessity. E-therapy has unqiue ethical challenges that mental health professionals should be aware of when utilizing computer mediated counseling. Specifi cally, there are fi ve common ethical concerns of on-line counseling that should be addressed during the informed consent process: appropriate concerns for e-therapy, the possibility of misunderstanding, maintenance of professional boundaries, issues of confi dentiality, and interruption of services. This paper also calls for professional organizations to update their ethical guidelines to refl ect the changing ethical concerns in e-therapy, as well as enact better enforcement of these guidelines.