‘Online Mental Health’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 8

Internet-based treatments for sufferers of panic disorder may be just as effective as face-to-face methods, according to the results of two years of research at Monash University in Australia.

The International Society for Mental Health Online has expelled from its discussion list the whistleblower who first brought evidence to light suggesting unethical behaviour on the part of one of the group’s board members. The expulsion has apparently occurred in violation of the organization’s own guidelines. In addition, I would like to apologize publicly for incorrectly suggesting the ISMHO had censored the original message pointing to the evidence of this unprofessional behaviour.

Original article removed 28 July 2006: At the request of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the article originally appearing at this URL has been removed. The BACP request allows that the article may be republished at a later time provided that identifying features of people and professional bodies involved in the matter being reported have been removed. The URL for the appropriately edited article is available below.

The long-awaited US Supreme Court decision about online direct wine sales to consumers in other states is in. What impact — if any — will the judgement about state authority to restrict interstate online commerce have on mental health practitioners who provide online services to clients in other states, or who operate from other countries?

Trust between client and therapist is central to the success of the therapeutic process, but how can people working online foster the same kind of trust that builds between people working face to face? Online therapists and clients alike may be able to learn from new research on fostering trust in online communications.