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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dasypodidae on November 24, 2000, at 10:16:28
Has anyone tried professional therapy online? I have looked at several sites that offer it but I have some reservations. A big one is that my insurance would not pay for it. I would be interested in CBT. It seems to me that that approach would be perfectly suited for written interchanges. Thanks.
Posted by Rzip on November 24, 2000, at 10:50:18
In reply to Professional Therapy on Internet?, posted by Dasypodidae on November 24, 2000, at 10:16:28
Personally, I do not believe in Internet therapy. I think the whole concept of the psychotherapy should be founded on face-to-face contact. Nonverbal communication and psychodynamics are essential to effective therapy. Internet does not provide the setting (that secure therapist room) nor the visual exchange that are the vital components of any therapy work. A therapist of 30+ years once told me that her professional is as much an art as a science. I totally agree.
Bottom-line: "Professional therapy" on Internet is a mock of the very profession that it addresses.
My advice to you, Dasypodidae, do not waste your money and energy on this.
- Rzip
Posted by stjames on November 24, 2000, at 14:41:49
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion » Dasypodidae, posted by Rzip on November 24, 2000, at 10:50:18
> Personally, I do not believe in Internet therapy. I think the whole concept of the psychotherapy should be founded on face-to-face contact.
James here....
I agree. Some ADD coaching does take place on the internet and by phone and works. Coaching, however, is not psycotherapy.
james
Posted by dj on November 24, 2000, at 14:54:53
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion, posted by stjames on November 24, 2000, at 14:41:49
The previous comments are valid. However for CBT you might learn some useful things from on-line echanges with the right folks. If you do a search for Dr. David Burn's site you will discover that he has a file of questions folks have posed to him on various issues accompanied by his very thoughtful answers, sometimes to further questions from he same folks.
Worth taking a look at and possibly posing a question or two to him yourself. Someplace above or on the previous page I had posted a link, however if you can't find it do a search for Burns using http://www.google.com
Sante!
dj
Posted by Dasypodidae on November 25, 2000, at 9:53:12
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion » Dasypodidae, posted by Rzip on November 24, 2000, at 10:50:18
Thanks Rzip I agree in some ways. I can think of some situations when it wouldn't work at all. But I think with clear objectives and a good therapist, it could be effective for some people. For behaviour modification or cognitive therapy where the client does written chart keeping or exercises, it could provide ongoing feedback and motivation to keep it up. For more general personal growth or exploratory therapy, it might not work as well.
I'm not an expert on therapy at all but it seems like sitting in front of a screen wouldn't be that much different from lying on a couch and not seeing the therapist. I know Psychobabble isn't therapy but it's pretty clear that transference and counter-transference are abounding. Do you think any psycho-analytic institutes are experimenting with analyzing over the internet? (This is just my mind wandering...I certainly have no personal interest in that kind of therapy).I agree that a lot of good therapy is more of an art than a science. I think the best truly healing kind of therapy is a gift as well as an art. And that kind definitely includes "being there".
One more thought, Re visual exchange and non-verbal communication, aren't blind people successful in therapy?
Thanks for your reply. I think I'll take your advice for the moment and save my money!
Dasypodidae
> Personally, I do not believe in Internet therapy. I think the whole concept of the psychotherapy should be founded on face-to-face contact. Nonverbal communication and psychodynamics are essential to effective therapy. Internet does not provide the setting (that secure therapist room) nor the visual exchange that are the vital components of any therapy work. A therapist of 30+ years once told me that her professional is as much an art as a science. I totally agree.
>
> Bottom-line: "Professional therapy" on Internet is a mock of the very profession that it addresses.
>
> My advice to you, Dasypodidae, do not waste your money and energy on this.
>
> - Rzip
Posted by Dasypodidae on November 25, 2000, at 9:57:20
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion, posted by stjames on November 24, 2000, at 14:41:49
Thanks James I think what I would like might be classified as a kind of coaching. Thanks for your reply.
> > Personally, I do not believe in Internet therapy. I think the whole concept of the psychotherapy should be founded on face-to-face contact.
>
> James here....
>
> I agree. Some ADD coaching does take place on the internet and by phone and works. Coaching, however, is not psycotherapy.
>
> james
Posted by Dasypodidae on November 25, 2000, at 10:10:20
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion, posted by dj on November 24, 2000, at 14:54:53
Thanks dj Dr. Burns site is really helpful. The question and answers are the sort of interchanges I had imagined as "interneet therapy". It has really been useful to me. If Dr. Burns could train some internet therapists, I might be very tempted to go ahead with it. Thanks again
The previous comments are valid. However for CBT you might learn some useful things from on-line echanges with the right folks. If you do a search for Dr. David Burn's site you will discover that he has a file of questions folks have posed to him on various issues accompanied by his very thoughtful answers, sometimes to further questions from he same folks.
>
> Worth taking a look at and possibly posing a question or two to him yourself. Someplace above or on the previous page I had posted a link, however if you can't find it do a search for Burns using http://www.google.com
>
> Sante!
>
> dj
Posted by caroline h. on November 26, 2000, at 20:02:18
In reply to Re: Professional Therapy on Internet...my opinion, posted by dj on November 24, 2000, at 14:54:53
> The previous comments are valid. However for CBT you might learn some useful things from on-line echanges with the right folks. If you do a search for Dr. David Burn's site you will discover that he has a file of questions folks have posed to him on various issues accompanied by his very thoughtful answers, sometimes to further questions from he same folks.
>
> Worth taking a look at and possibly posing a question or two to him yourself. Someplace above or on the previous page I had posted a link, however if you can't find it do a search for Burns using http://www.google.com
>
> Sante!
>
> djdj- i tried doing a google search and turned up a law firm and a business consultant firm and their links. my google didn't recognize david burns. so, for the technologically challenged (me and anyone else, can you please spoon-feed me the name of burns's website? (i know it's a pain.)
Much appreciated.
Caroline h.
Posted by dj on November 26, 2000, at 20:56:05
In reply to Re:For the techno-inept(me)where's Burns site? dj, posted by caroline h. on November 26, 2000, at 20:02:18
> dj- i tried doing a google search and turned up a law firm and a business consultant firm and their links. my google didn't recognize david burns. so, for the technologically challenged (me and anyone else, can you please spoon-feed me the name of burns's website? (i know it's a pain.)
>
> Much appreciated.
>
Caroline h.The trick has nothing to do with tech. and everything to do with strategy. Put "David Burns" in "" and then add CBT and you would have come up with more appropriate references immediately including the following which includes the website reference:
"The value of homework assignments in therapy
Not everyone is happy with the word 'homework assignment, (with its connotations of school), but an important feature of cognitive behaviour therapy is that often it involves people being encouraged to do activities at home in between therapy sessions. David Burns, on his excellent CBT site, www.feelinggood.com , has reported on a recent study looking at the value of therapeutic homework.
Dr. Burns and his research colleague, Dr. Diane Spangler, looked at the effect of therapeutic homework in two groups of patients (total number of patients - 521) treated at Dr. Burns' clinic in Philadelphia during the mid-1980s. (To quote from David Burns) the results indicated that:
Cognitive therapy homework assignments appear to have direct antidepressant effects. In other words, patients who do the homework got better faster, and it was because of the homework.
The size of the effect appeared to be extremely large--large enough, in fact, to cause complete recovery from depression for many patients.
Depression did not seem to influence compliance with homework assignments. In other words, severely depressed individuals and undepressed individuals did the same amount of homework, when controlling for all else.
Although motivation did appear to lead to increased homework compliance, it was the homework, and not the motivation, that seemed to cause recovery from depression.
This excellent study confirms what most cognitive therapists already know, that is, if you are depressed and you do the written assignments suggested by your cognitive therapist, you will improve much more speedily.
The reference for the study is: - Burns, D. D., & Spangler, D. (2000). Does psychotherapy homework lead to changes in depression in cognitive behavioural therapy? Or does clinical improvement lead to homework compliance? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(1) 46-56."
http://www.outlooksw.co.uk/news.htm#homework
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