Busting the Myths of Online Clinical Work | SilverCloud Health

‘Busting the myths of online clinical work’ is a new blog series based on ‘Myths & Realities of Online Clinical Work’; a 3rd-Year report from the International Society for Mental Health Online’s (ISMHO) Clinical Case Study Group. This is an old report

Ten myths associated with online therapy

Throughout the coming months, SilverCloud Health’s ‘Busting the myths…’ series will be tackling the following list of misguided observations regarding the phenomena of online behaviour, experience and therapeutic relationships. If you have any thoughts on any of these topics, or perhaps you have other myths to add for discussion, we would relish your input and commentary via twitter.

• Myth 1. “Online therapy” just isn’t possible
• Myth 2.  Online therapy is no more than email exchange
• Myth 3. Text-only therapy is inadequate
• Myth 4. Online suicide prevention and crisis intervention are impossible
• Myth 5. Online mental health services are unaffected by geography
• Myth 6. Online clinical work requires direct control by a clinician or therapist
• Myth 7. Online principles replicate offline principles
• Myth 8. Online training and peer supervision are unproductive
• Myth 9. Any experienced clinician can do online work
• Myth 10.Online therapy is only accepted by young people

International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO)

“The International Society for Mental Health Online (ISMHO) was formed in 1997 to promote the understanding, use and development of online communication, information and technology for the international mental health community. ISMHO is a nonprofit organization.” ISMHO website

ISMHO Online Clinical Case Study Group

Made up of advanced-level clinicians who use Internet-facilitated and Internet-based communication technologies in their daily work, the ISMHO’s Clinical Case Study Group was created to discuss and carry out in-depth explorations of online psychotherapy cases and clinical interventions.

The group aims to develop a comprehensive and integrated framework for understanding clinical work involving cyberspace. For a full list of the group’s publications and members, please visit: https://www.ismho.org/clinical_case_study.asp