Online Counseling may not be a replacement for in-person therapy, but it is a replacement for not getting the help you need.

When so many people suffer endlessly in silence, it is obvious that more options are needed.

If we look at the top reasons why people do not go to therapy, the reason topping the list is stigma.

Most people simply are too uncomfortable to seek out mental health services in person.

Online Counseling removes that barrier.

The question of effectiveness really has nothing at all to do with the medium of delivery.

Therapy is therapy.  It shouldn’t and doesn’t change in nature whether performed in person or online.  The same psychological theories are used.  The fundamentals do not change.

The difference is location.  Online Counseling is simply a way of connecting to your therapist.

If you are wondering whether or not online counseling is for you, consider how you answer the following questions:

1)  Do you feel uncomfortable going to see a therapist in person?

2)  Do you feel like you do not have the time to go to office visits?

If you’ve answered either of these questions in the affirmative, online counseling may very well be the right choice for you.  Try it and find out.

Tomorrow’s post will provide you a guide for engaging in online counseling.  See you then ….

Grief is a powerful emotion.  We all grieve in a personal matter but the experience is one we all share.

Online counseling is very effective for people who are too busy or ashamed to go to therapy in person.

MyTherapyNet.com is the original Online Therapy service.  With more therapists than any other service globally, MyTherapyNet provides a wide range of mental health and counseling services, including grief counseling.

When looking for an online therapist, it is best to find one at a service such as MyTherapyNet, where therapists are screened for license, experience and malpractice insurance.

Grieving is a process.  You can go it alone and learn to cope, but there are so many valuable resources and tools that help the process along.  Therapy and counseling can help you bring acceptance, closure and even renewed purpose in life.

For more information, visit www.MyTherapyNet.com.

He was 15.

He sat in silence for 50 minutes.

At the end of the session, the psychologist asked if he would like to see him online next week.

The boy lit up.

“You can do that?!”

Online Counseling isn’t a new thing, but so few are aware of it.

Online counseling made the difference for the 15 year old.

That next week, the boy couldn’t stop typing.

He covered so much, in such detail, that the psychologist realized that there can be no doubt that for some people, online counseling is actually more effective at getting them to open-up.

Twitter, Facebook, MyTherapyNet.  They all broaden our horizons as human beings – connecting us and healing us.

Ok, this one bothers me.

I’m a helpful Dad … on the continuum, I’m the guy other Dad’s secretly hate because I manage to make the time to do the things with my children that I know I would regret not doing in later years.

I’ve had other Dad’s literally tell me to stop.

I’ve heard stories of wives using me against their husbands in arguments.

I’ve felt bad, I don’t want to be a gender-traitor, but I refuse to change my values to suit others.

Now we see there’s a study that can be used against guys like me.

Certainly, I don’t want to be the cause of my wife’s mental health demise.

But as I look back at my life, and I look back at my wife’s mental health, I have to say that this study leaves out an important factor.

I’ll get to that, but first allow me to fill in some blanks.

My wife’s self-esteem is just fine.  She has no issues pertaining to her role as a wife and mother.

Why did she escape unscathed from the clutches of a husband’s overzealous involvement in their children’s lives?

Good mental health.

1 in 4 Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder.  This could be stress, depression or relationship issues – those are the most common.

Point being, once you’re behind the 8-ball, it doesn’t take much to send you over the edge.

Let’s not use this study to support the notion that Fathers should be lazy.  Let’s instead support the notion that new mothers, no matter how mentally healthy, need additional support.  Having a child is stressful, and yes, there are social pressures.  The answer is therapy, not lazy fathers.

Click for Article –>>  Are you a sex addict? – CNN.com.

Tigers been in the news an awful lot lately, and not for his prowess on the golf course.

Although Tiger’s case is extreme, there are many people who are afflicted by a  compulsive sex drive.  Although there is debate on the details of sex addiction from a clinical standpoint, the end result is the same – families are shattered, careers are derailed and personal lives become public disgraces.

Dr. Kathleene Derrig-Palumbo, a clinical psychologist based in Southern California, sees a silver lining in the Tiger case.  “If Tiger uses this opportunity to bring awareness to the very serious repercussions of sex addiction, perhaps more people will reach out to a professional for help before the situation escalates and degenerates … and it nearly always does.”

Dr. Derrig-Palumbo recommends using Online Counseling to reach out initially, especially if there is a sense of shame that prevents someone from going to see a counselor in person.  “With online counseling, there is an enhanced sense of anonymity – and that opens the door for people who otherwise would not go get help in person.

For more information, please visit www.MyTherapyNet.com.

Click for Article –>> FOXNews.com – Chatroulette Is ‘Predator’s Paradise,’ Experts Say.

It seems that every day there is something new for parents to dread.  Today, it’s a website called Chatroulette.  I won’t get into a detailed description of the service, you can read the article by clicking the link above.  Suffice it to say, it is a forum in which random strangers are connected by webcam.  Since the demographic makeup is predominantly young people and there are reports that the site is heavily weighted toward exhibitionism, you can see why it’s being called a “predator’s paradise”.

Life is full of challenges, distractions and temptations.  The internet brings much of this directly into our homes.  But it still is our choice what media we consume.  For parents concerned about their children inadvertantly (or not) stumbling upon Chatroulette, there is a service called OpenDNS.org that allows you to restrict access to specific websites in a way that is more effective than installing software on your computers.  I haven’t personally used it, so I can personally recommend it, but I’ve heard good things so far about it.  Parents, post some comments on this if you have experience with them.

For assistance with parenting issues, try consulting with a licensed counselor experienced in adolescent and parenting issues.   If you haven’t done so already, register at www.MyTherapyNet.com.  The service is currently offering one free question answered by a licensed counselor, so that should get you started down the right path!

Athletes use every advantage possible to take home the Gold … and it appears that in many cases, the mental edge makes the difference between Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Take the cue from the best of the best – your state of mind, the state of mind you portray, and the state of mind you can influence in others will make the difference between successful and, well, not so successful.

Mind games as tough as Olympic games – CNN.com.

Getting that extra “mental edge” is easy.  Let’s say you have an important business meeting coming up, or you’re experiencing some form of conflict in one of your relationships.  Instead of going in “cold”, get online and take a 15 minute “Emmediate Care” session at www.MyTherapyNet.com’s “Emmediate Care” puts you in touch with a licensed therapist within 5 to 10 minutes.

We’ve heard all sorts of great results from people who use the MyTherapyNet service in this fashion.  Business people reporting increased confidence and improved results, parents finding solutions to parenting issues, husbands impressing their wives by going online at lunch-time to get relationship advice … the list goes on.

The bottom line is that it is finally convenient to go to therapy.  No driving to appointments, no waiting in waiting rooms, no setting aside 3 hours for a 50 minute session.  In fact, consider that you can go online ANYTIME and meet with a therapist, you can get support and assistance for issues that you’ve typically swept under the carpet and ignored, let fester, and become cancerous.  And maybe you don’t need 50 minutes – sometimes a 15 or 25 minute session is what it takes.

Get for yourself the mental edge that will make the difference.  Visit www.MyTherapyNet.com for more information.

MyTherapyNet is working with HealthNet to provide secure mental health services via the internet to military personnel under the TriCare health plan. Members and Providers log in at https://www.mytherapynet.com/hnfs/, the MyTherapyNet / HealthNet Federal Services portal.

Military personnel have a difficult time accessing conventional face-to-face therapy. The most common reason is that they are uncomfortable going in person to a clinic for fear there may be negative career repercussions. The other commonly cited reason is that often there simply is no access to a therapist – especially for personnel stationed in remote areas – and most military bases are intentionally in remote areas.

Online Therapy provides access to mental health services no matter where the person may be. We see there is still a ways to go before our solution is fully implemented, but we are so very pleased to see that the government has taken this significant step in the right direction.

If you are in the military or an immediate family member, and you wish to learn more about our HealthNet / MyTherapyNet Online Therapy Program, feel free to email us at customerservice@mytherapynet.com.

Online Therapy was once thought of as a passing fancy – it is now available to military personnel through Health Net and MyTherapyNet.

Online Therapy may be the right choice for you if you simply don’t feel like you can make an appointment in person, but you know that you (and perhaps your friends and loved ones) would benefit if you did.

Try it. Online, you have the choice of thousands of therapists. Try a couple of therapists before choosing the best fit for you.

If you’re like the thousands of people already using Online Counseling – you’re probably going to like it …