The machine as intermediary: personal communication via a machine

Abstract

The physical co-presence of psychotherapist or counsellor and client has been considered essential to the development of the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapists have often, therefore, been resolutely opposed to anything other than face-to-face therapy. The richness and ubiquity of internet communication is likely to change that. I consider here the circumstances in which internet psychotherapy is indicated, some of the new problems it poses, including boundary-keeping and ethics, along with some solutions to these problems. The potential of the internet has already been exploited by many clients themselves and I conclude with a consideration of the growth of internet-based peer support groups.