Domestic Abuse Counseling and Psychotherapy in the Age of Internet Technology

I can remember twenty years ago having an elitistpsychotherapy.
attitude about how I found my doctors. I only saw aIf you've ever been in psychotherapy, you know the
doctor by referral. I was not the kind of person toimportance of the relationship and therapeutic alliance
find a doctor in the yellow pages. And I wasformed with the therapist. Most experts say it's
accustomed to patients seeking me out throughactually the vessel that births psychotherapeutic
referral. Roughly 90% of my patients came to meprocess. But do you need to be looking at this
through doctor or friend referral.person for the psychotherapeutic process to
With the advent of the Internet and unlimitedhappen? Absolutely not; to the contrary, it's best to
long-distance calling, doors have opened up for a newbe looking at yourself.
era of psychotherapy: Internet referral and telephoneSince the birth of psychotherapy, the master
delivery. At first glance one might expect this to bepsychotherapists placed their patients on couches
"less" psychotherapy, however it's just the opposite.reclined and facing away from themselves. You know
Here's why.the classic image of "Freud's couch" with the doctor
Specialization and Higher Level Expertiseout of the patient's view. This positioning facilitated
Finding your therapist on the Internet opens doors toinward reflection and intra-personal inquiry. The focus
resources worldwide. No longer do you have to relyof psychotherapeutic process is between patient and
on the expertise of your immediate, local community.self, not between patient and therapist.
This provides the domestic abuse survivor andWhile it is extremely important to recognize that the
counseling consumer with options for securingrelationship between patient and therapist is the
services from the most qualified, most experiencedcradle for the self-discovery, know the role of voice
professional in the particular area of expertise thatand presence in creating that relationship. The trust,
matches their needs.the rapport, the interpersonal sensitivity and
Now once you have done your homework andperceptiveness all play an important role in establishing
located this domestic violence counseling professionaltherapeutic alliance and can all be accomplished on the
on the Internet, with the help of Google or yourtelephone.
favorite social networking site, it's time to check outOnce this is cultivated, the other interpersonal
their credentials. Again, this is very easy with thedynamics between any two people can be distracting
Internet.to the real work of self-growth, healing and
Essentially, all you need is to request their Curriculumdevelopment. Those with experience in rabbinical
Vita and instantly you can download a PDF file andcounseling know the value of the confessional
review their qualifications, their education, credentials,enclosure and partition between priest and
experience, professional contributions, rewards,parishioner. What you say and what you get is
honors and associations. And you can digest all of thisbetween you and God, not you and your clergy.
information conveniently without leaving your house.If you are looking for help and wish to benefit from
Telephone Psychotherapy: Is It True?endless resources and convenient service delivery,
Can you really do psychotherapy on the telephone?recognize the benefits of Internet referral and
You're accustomed to being face-to-face with yourtelephone therapy. Your healthcare insurance carrier
therapist, so how can you trust the telephonemay also recognize this professional service. They call
delivery? Good question. Here's how and here's whyit "telephone psychotherapy.
it can be even better than face-to-face