Please note that:
- Counselling/consultation healthcare service online is NOT recommended for emergency, life- threatening, physical abuse or crisis situations, where in-office care is the better alternative (please review the Emergency and Safety Plan).
- You have to be 18 years and older to participate in online counselling. At this stage online therapy is not available to underage clients. Parents and legal guardians can of course consult with Joshua (R.Psych.) on minors in their care.
- There are limitations to confidentiality provided by online consultation and counselling. Please review the Confidentiality Policy. Make sure that you take steps to safeguard your password, access to your e-mails and computer files.
- While E-therapists cannot diagnose or treat mental illness online to the same extend that is done in-office f-2-f therapy, they can offer guidance and advice to people experiencing problems in relationships, work, or life. Questions about mental health and wellbeing can and will be addressed.
- Please do take the time to provide relevant information in the pre-counselling info form. Describe your concerns so that Joshua (R.Psych.) will know how to best help you. You will promptly receive a personal confirmation e-mail and welcome from Joshua which will include further instruction concerning your appointment, consultation, or counselling.
Advances in Social Media and Technologically based Services (“The Future in Now”)
Facebook reached the milestone of 500 million active monthly users on July 21, 2010. As of 2018, Facebook has more than 2.2 billion monthly active users.
The way that millions are connecting and networking today is in cyberspace. Although online mental health services are unlikely to replace traditional face-to-face counselling, it is clear that it is here to stay and that it is growing exponentially. It is estimated that more than 100 million people in North America sought help or mental health information online. Online counselling is one of the fastest growing health services on the Internet and is expected to grow significantly in the next 10 years.
The use of technologies plays a major role in the delivery of mental health services and supports to people in need - providing prevention, assessment, diagnosis, counselling and treatment options and programs. Strategies are growing exponentially on a global basis, thus it is critical to stay abreast of the impact of these technologies on mental health service delivery.
Internet counselling is fast becoming a recognised form of counselling and does offer benefits to you, the consumer. Technically minded, electronically equipped health care consumers have accelerated the demand for online therapy access to their health care providers. The use of e-counselling has dramatically increased since the late 1970s and it is estimated that there is presently over 100 million users. The way that millions are connecting and networking today is in cyberspace. This trend correlates with the advent of low-cost Internet access, mass-marketed online services, and a techno-informed and skilled consumer society.
E-Counselling presents an opportunity to offer its unique counselling niche (personalised professional psychotherapy) to people who are already looking for and finding the answers to their questions online.
