Is e-mail or “live chat” considered counseling?
Online counseling is considered experimental at this point. Because a therapist cannot see or hear clients in cyberspace, there are many important clues that are missing using this medium. These visual and auditory clues include, facial expression, body language, and the tone of voice. Therefore, the therapist’s perceptions are limited by the written information the client supplies. Because of this limitation, online consulting is not a therapy. Therefore people in need of a therapeutic relationship must seek treatment from a licensed professional within their own community.
