“For Michael and others who are uncomfortable discussing sexual issues face-to-face, distance sex therapy, as it’s known, is providing a new option. Its practitioners include credentialed sex therapists who counsel clients by phone, e-mail or in Internet chat rooms, where they address deeply personal issues without ever meeting. In doing so, they’ve set off a debate about the ethics, legality and effectiveness of such practice.”

The article goes on to note an important finding about e-therapy:

“Stephen Biggs, a PhD candidate in clinical psychology, surveyed 44 people who said they had received therapy strictly over the Internet. Among these respondents, 16 percent said their therapy involved sexual issues; ages varied and women outnumbered men. Eighty percent (35) said they found the therapy experience somewhat or very positive, but all said they would use online therapy again and “reported that the therapist was empathic,” he said.”

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Jun 2004
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.