What is Online Therapy via live private chat?As anybody who has ever talked in a chat room knows, things happen fast. Often, people are typing all at the same time, and different messages appear simultaneously from different people responding to the same earlier statement. Chat room therapy is no different. It's fast-moving and it usually requires the online client to either have or develop the ability to multi-task and follow fast-scrolling text. You may be responding to a question as your online therapist is answering your last comment. Without the ability to multi-task, you may get lost either writing your initial response, or reading what's in front of you! Just like any chat room, it's possible for the online-savvy therapy client to benefit from a lot of the same qualities that accompany face-to-face therapy, such as expressive communications. Some clients use 'emoticons' in either picture or print to express the emotional tone of their message, or formatting such as bold or italic to make their point. While 'perfect grammar' is hardly required, a well-placed comma enables a thought to be more clearly communicated. Chatrooms allow on-the-spot interactions with the therapist, who is able to respond immediately to what the client is saying. One on one interaction which is focused solely on the client's writings is different than the more 'peer-to-peer' give and take. When speaking to a friend you may both be engaged in simultaneous 'stream of consciousness' on two different topics. This seldom happens in online therapy chat rooms, because you are the focus. In this way, chat room therapy also provides structure for people, replicating the idea of standard, scheduled appointments that happen in face-to-face therapy. Chat room therapy also provides some consistency and a sense of ongoing relationship between therapist and client, and allows for the growth of a therapeutic relationship between participants.
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