All ethical therapists are concerned about the lack of control we have providing online therapy sessions. All programs face the issue of people who seek treatment at their facility but are inappropriate. Each program has its admission criteria and is equipped to treat a certain type or range of types of clients. An outpatient substance abuse agency can t treat a chronic schizophrenic with no substance abuse history. The limitations of online psychotherapy programs are not unlike limitations of other programs - we can't treat all people.
Most online providers state quite clearly the limitations in the provision of therapy online.
There is no such thing. That has not been the experience of at least several therapists who have conducted ongoing psychotherapy online. We can establish therapeutic relationships online. An easy way to verify client s identity is to obtain real name, address and telephone number. Some workers may not want to ask for that information and that can be ok as well if this lack of information is congruent with the type of therapy being done.