THe Chatroom based Online Therapy
THe Chatroom based Online Therapy
The Chatroom or Instant Messenger based form of online therapy is a tremendous therapeutic tool for any online counselor. This anonymous and semi-asynchronous format offers comfort for someone who is apprehensive in sharing intimate personal information with a stranger and provides access to an online therapist for those who are home-bound. My experience with this format is one where clients' seem to be far more forthcoming expressing their personal thoughts, feelings, and actions and do so much more quickly than in traditional therapy and other forms of online counseling. I also find that a collaborative rapport develops quite quickly as well and there is less superficiality and formality in conversation because more effort is required to type out one's thoughts concisely and coherently than simply speaking what comes to mind. Furthermore, greater thought is placed into what is typed on the screen and the typed material tends to have greater therapeutic value. This also applies to what the online therapist is typing. There is usually a sense by both parties of the need to get right "to the point" in the discussion.
Another advantage to chat-room based online counseling is that there is a complete record of everything discussed. Everything typed is there to be seen and can be retrieved at anytime. This presents itself as a valuable asset to both client and online therapist as there is an ever present reference source to draw from. Both parties do not have to rely so much on memory or the counselor's sporadic progress notes. Everything is there for re-examination and re-use in the therapeutic process. For the online counselor, he or she can highlight directly where a client may have expressed irrational thoughts and/or beliefs and confront the client when contradictions arise or when more adaptive ways of thinking are expressed. For the client, he or she can highlight portions of the sessions that he or she may want to discuss in greater detail that the online counselor may have only glossed over without giving enough attention to it. Supervisors also can use this record for greater objective analysis in identifying potential mistakes in the online therapist's approach and highlight important things the online therapist may have missed.
Chatroom based therapy is not perfect, however, as the client and therapist are not present with each other and verbal and visual cues that would otherwise be seen and heard for use in the session are inaccessible. There is also greater potential for misinterpretation for both parties and what a client or online therapist thinks will not always properly translate into the typed text. I have also found that less is accomplished in each individual chat session than in other forms of online counseling because it simply takes longer to carry on a dialogue typing everything out, interpreting and clarifying it, and then reflecting and following up on it all. Still, chat based online therapy is very cost effective and convenient. The potential benefits this model has to offer far outweigh these limitations. Stream or Watch Minnesota Twins vs Florida Marlins Online Live Feed Stream NCAA Buffalo Bulls vs Iona Gaels Online Live via PC Wedding Labels: Doing it Online Good cv sample online Use Crack Smoking Shirts promotional codes for savings more on online All Is Fair in Fair Trade, and Coffee Beans! The Future Of US Players For Online Gambling Find Online Degree At You Own Pace How to book a cheap hotel in Uganda instantly online What To Consider When Evaluating Online Divorce Websites Join Online Classes for Achieving CNA Certification Article Of Online MBA in IT My Site Has Been Optimized - Why Can't Anyone Find it Online?