Transformation to Online Therapy
There are over 9,000 applications for cell phones that help with different aspects of health (Morris & Aguilera, 2012). “Most of the apps that offer psychological guidance are based on positive psychology, such as the Live Happy application inspired by Sonja Lyubormirksy’s research (Morris & Aguilera, 2012). As far as social media, sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others all offered the feeling of social connectedness. These sites benefit the consumer differently than face-to-face support groups (Morris & Aguilera, 2012).
The impacts of different social media sites on mental health depends on what site is used. The professionals that telementalhealth consumers choose to talk to and the content of discussions on these sites also impacts mental health. People then form bonds with others who strive for positive emotions. There are also programs where someone can wear sensors that will collect data and send it to a database to be recorded and can be accessed later by the individual or a healthcare professional. These sensors measure physiological responses, movement, and location. These sensors can be used to help people figure out a good starting point for therapy. These three different areas can provide clinicians with a more contextualized understanding of the patient and help them find the right approach of treatment for that specific person. Some early trials of mobile therapy in addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, have shown good results for enhancing therapy and shorting the time period. With using all the different information that one can collect along with the clinical dialogue it could motivate self-tracking and help the client find an app that matches the therapeutic objectives (Morris & Aguilera, 2012).
The research suggests that online therapy can be used and it can be just as effective as conventional therapy. Research has found that there is no difference between telementalhealth and face-to-face therapy (Alleman, 2002). On the other hand, the researchers did find that there were some disorders that could not be handled effectively online and need to be seen face-to-face. For example: suicidality, disordered thinking (someone cannot tell the difference between what is reality and what is not), borderline personality disorders, and diagnostic requirements.
As far as the ethics, the researchers found that there are some risks to privacy and other things, but they found a way around it. Messages can be encrypted so that only the person that is receiving the message has the ability to decrypt them and then encrypt their response and send it back. The researchers found that the majority of people who started with online therapy, about 65%, actually moved to traditional therapy, which shows that online therapy is not a threat to traditional, face-to-face therapy. There is, however, competition between reputable and qualified online therapy providers and those that are not as qualified but yet still providing services. Education and licensing needs to be addressed on the global level and a state level (Alleman, 2002).
The impacts of different social media sites on mental health depends on what site is used. The professionals that telementalhealth consumers choose to talk to and the content of discussions on these sites also impacts mental health. People then form bonds with others who strive for positive emotions. There are also programs where someone can wear sensors that will collect data and send it to a database to be recorded and can be accessed later by the individual or a healthcare professional. These sensors measure physiological responses, movement, and location. These sensors can be used to help people figure out a good starting point for therapy. These three different areas can provide clinicians with a more contextualized understanding of the patient and help them find the right approach of treatment for that specific person. Some early trials of mobile therapy in addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, have shown good results for enhancing therapy and shorting the time period. With using all the different information that one can collect along with the clinical dialogue it could motivate self-tracking and help the client find an app that matches the therapeutic objectives (Morris & Aguilera, 2012).
The research suggests that online therapy can be used and it can be just as effective as conventional therapy. Research has found that there is no difference between telementalhealth and face-to-face therapy (Alleman, 2002). On the other hand, the researchers did find that there were some disorders that could not be handled effectively online and need to be seen face-to-face. For example: suicidality, disordered thinking (someone cannot tell the difference between what is reality and what is not), borderline personality disorders, and diagnostic requirements.
As far as the ethics, the researchers found that there are some risks to privacy and other things, but they found a way around it. Messages can be encrypted so that only the person that is receiving the message has the ability to decrypt them and then encrypt their response and send it back. The researchers found that the majority of people who started with online therapy, about 65%, actually moved to traditional therapy, which shows that online therapy is not a threat to traditional, face-to-face therapy. There is, however, competition between reputable and qualified online therapy providers and those that are not as qualified but yet still providing services. Education and licensing needs to be addressed on the global level and a state level (Alleman, 2002).