Eliza, the first cybershrink, is still there for you, but she has lots of competition. To others, it's the antithesis of the definition of psychotherapy - the physical act of two or more people gathering and interacting through words, gestures, sighs and silences, with even posture and nervous tics serving as cues. And there are definitely so-called professionals on the Web who are walking a fine line. Martha Williamson, a New York-based Internet communications specialist, says she contacted an online therapist for depression in 1995.
Most clients pay by credit card.
Of course, the biggest attraction of online therapy is the anonymity it offers, notes Dr. Paul Earley, program director of Ridgeview Institute's addiction medicine services in Smyrna.