This form must be signed and agreed to before online therapy can begin. By signing, you are indicating that you have read, comprehend and have agreed to the terms and conditions that follow. Online Therapy versus Traditional face-to-face Therapy:While there are many benefits to receiving online therapy (also known as cyber-therapy, cyber-counseling and e-Counseling), it is no substitute for traditional face-to-face therapy. Unlike traditional psychotherapy, online therapy cannot be used for diagnosis, assessment and treatment of serious mental health issues. However, it can be used for support and direction from a licensed psychotherapist. While many people find online therapy helpful to them, it is NOT a good choice if you are feeling suicidal or are in the middle of a serious life crisis. In situations where you are feeling severely depressed or emotionally fragile I recommend that you seek face-to-face psychotherapy services with a licensed professional. All medical questions should be directed towards your physician. Minors:I am only offering online therapy to adults 18 years of age and older. Online therapy cannot legally be offered to people under the age of 18 years. If you are seeking therapy and you are under 18 years of age, please speak to an adult and seek help in finding a referral near your home. If after reading this and you continue to seek online therapy services with me, it is automatically understood that you are of adult age. If I determine that you have knowingly misled me, I reserve the right to immediately terminate online therapy with you. Confidentiality and Security:I value confidentiality highly. However, internet communication is not a perfect science. To maximize security and confidentiality, I use a secure, web-based messaging system instead of regular email. In addition, my online therapy office is a password-protected chat room, which only permits me and one other person to enter at any given time . By signing this disclaimer form, you are acknowledging that you are over 18 years of age and that you understand that online is not 100% secure, despite my attempts to safeguard communications via encrypted internet services (SSL). Technical Difficulties:While I make every effort to ensure continuity of communication, I cannot guarantee that online therapy communications will not be subject to loss of communication through glitches in technology operations. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Difficulties with internet service providers
- Hardware crashes
- Severe weather affecting computer usage
- Viruses, worms and Trojans
- Power outages
In the event of technical difficulties, I will make every effort to contact you to re-establish communications. To this end, clients are asked to submit a telephone number at which I can contact you in the event of sustained interruption to online communication.
(Text adapted with permission from Elizabeth Zelvin) |
