Online counseling is counseling provided to people over the internet. Both counselor and client must have access to a computer with an internet connection. It can come in various forms but typically online counseling is provided via email, through text messages, voice and video links as well as chat rooms and message boards. Many people will be familiar with these types of communication and such a way of interacting has become a natural and easy part of life. Online counseling can be provided to an individual or a group, in the same way as face-to-face counseling can. Online counseling is also known as: web counseling, e-counseling, e-therapy, and internet counseling.

Is it safe?

Since online counseling means that the counselor usually remains invisible to the client, it can sometimes be asserted that it is dangerous. This is why it is important that you have as much information about your counselor as possible. Checking your counselor’s credentials, including membership of a counseling organization helps as you can verify that the person is in fact a counselor and not faking it. Remember, even people you see face-to-face can call themselves counselors and attempt to ‘fix’ your problems. As such it is not online counseling itself that could be dangerous; rather it is the risk that your counselor is neither credible nor ethical. That being said, there are advantages and disadvantages which are unique to online counseling, which you need to consider before engaging with an online counselor.