We definitely wouldn't do it now, because it's so unproven. I'm uneasy about the lack of physical contact, but I can envision scenarios where it might work. We'll have to wait and see. And there are definitely so-called professionals on the Web who are walking a fine line. They say they aren't technically doing therapy, but I'll bet it seems that way to the client.
Proponents say e-therapy erases barriers that keep people from physically visiting a therapist.
Others may live in isolated areas, be disabled, travel often or fear the stigma of seeking therapy. The distance of cyberspace also creates a sense of safety that can lead to a kind of intimacy, advocates say. Martha Ainsworth, a New York-based Internet communications specialist, says she contacted an online therapist for depression in 1995. Because we were working online, I felt like he was nearer to me than if we had met in an office. Critics denounce the idea of sending private thoughts into cyberspace to someone who may not be qualified and who can't see the doubt or tears in a patient's eyes.