But while Megan soon got help from a child psychiatrist, Steele, a single mom and owner of a dog-grooming business in Houston, found the therapists she saw to deal with her own stress either insincere or judgmental. When a friend suggested online therapy, Steele decided to give it a try. Skeptics say the lack of nonverbal cues makes online therapy not only ineffective but unethical and possibly illegal. But two UCLA professors, Marion Jacobs and Andrew Christiansen, plan to publish a study in the journal Professional Psychology this fall showing that at least one kind of computerized counseling may actually work.
Converts find anonymity to be online therapy's greatest selling point.
Too embarrassed, ashamed or self-conscious to look a therapist in the eye, some find typing onscreen as direct and honest as writing in a journal. Right now I feel like I weigh 600 lbs. I feel much safer this way. Convenience and cost are a big part of the appeal. For people in rural areas, those who are housebound and even busy professionals, the ability to go online anytime, anywhere can make the difference between seeking help and not.