E-Therapy: Case Studies, Guiding Principles, and the Clinical Potential of the Internet
Robert C Hsiung, Editor
Praise for e-therapy:
“The authors are careful . . . not to overstate the role of technology. They
acknowledge that use of the Internet may not benefit everyone and that an
Internet connection is not a substitute for an actual therapist-patient
relationship. This balanced perspective minimizes the threat to the traditional
therapeutic relationship that some may infer in such a book. In fact, the
authors repeatedly cast the Internet in a supportive, adjunctive role...even a
skeptical reader will find the book evenhanded, interesting and educational.
Anyone who has ever used a search engine will at least find the first chapter
informative for its explanation of indices, catalogs, hybrids, metasearch
engines, Web crawlers, spiders and bots. The book will find its most grateful
audience among clinicians who want to incorporate the Internet more fully into
their daily practice.”
—Psychiatric Times
Overview – Excerpt – Table of Contents
In a world of information that tends toward randomness, therapists and
clinicians often need guidance regarding how best to use new technologies and
yet not allow the chaos of new media to undermine their practice. Here, a leading
provider of online mental health information, Dr. Robert Hsiung, has gathered a
group of distinguished contributors to discuss clinical, ethical, and legal issues
pertaining to e-therapy. Full of case studies and examples of active programs
that deliver mental health information and therapy via new media, E-Therapy
offers first-hand accounts of the potential and risks of recent trends in
'distance therapy' and 'telepsychiatry.'
Chapters include
- The Internet 'Expert': Ronald Pies
- An E-Patient's Story: Martha Ainsworth
- Chat Room Therapy: Gary S. Stofle
- Using E-mail to Support Outpatient Treatment: Joel Yager
- Community Telepsychiatry: Sara F. Gibson
- An Online Self-Help Group Hosted by a Mental Health Professional: Robert C Hsiung
- Principles of Professional Ethics: Robert C Hsiung
- Legal Ethics in On-line Mental Health: Nicholas P. Terry
Praise for E-Therapy:
"The best
introduction to the breadth of these online therapeutic
interactions. Researchers will get a broad overview
of a field fertile for research, and clinicians may
begin to see how this medium could fit into their own
practices." --Contemporary Psychology/APA
Review of Books
“In a world
of information that tends toward randomness, therapists
and clinicians often need guidance regarding how best
to use new technologies and yet not allow the chaos
of new media to undermine their practice. Here, a leading
provider of online mental health information, robert
Hsiung, has gathered a group of distinguished contributors
to discuss clinical, ethical, and legal issues pertaining
to e-therapy. Full of case studies and exmples of active
programs that deliver mental health information and
therapy via new media, E-therapy offers first-ahnd
accounts of the potential and risk of recent trends
in ‘distance therapy’ and ‘telepsychiatry.’”
––Family Therapy
"Robert
Hsiung has gathered an impressive group of contributors
to discuss clinical, ethical and legal issues specific
to e-therapy . . . Real-life examples of new and more
commonplaces mental health serves on the Internet.'
––Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow, Linda W. Jackim
'A welcome guide by pioneers for pioneers setting out into the new territory of e-therapy.'
Peter D. Kramer, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University
Author, Spectacular Happiness and Listening to Prozac.
'E-therapy will have a major effect on the lives of mental health professionals. This book offers an excellent overview of this emerging medium with articles written by some of the field's most notable pioneers.'
Tom Ferguson, M. D.
Senior Research Fellow for Online Health, Pew Internet & American Life Project
'E-Therapy is that rare mental health professional book that, while packed with information, reads like a beach novel. Novice or expert, you’ll find something of interest, ranging from an eloquent discussion of cyberspace as a therapeutic holding medium to fascinating personal narratives by Internet pioneers to downright helpful tips on using e-mail in your practice.'
Valerie Davis Raskin, M. D.
Author, Great Sex for Moms: Ten Steps to Nurturing Passion While Raising Kids
'This book should be required reading for anyone approaching the subject of clinical activity on the Internet, either as patient or practitioner. Dr. Hsiung has recruited an extremely impressive list of contributors, and they provide a comprehensive discussion of the subject. What makes this book particularly successful is its acknowledgement of the multiple aspects and applications of information technology in mental health treatment and the seamless integration of these aspects into the text.'
Thomas A.M. Kramer, M. D.
Deputy Executive Vice President
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Northwestern University Medical School and
Medical College of Wisconsin
'Does the Internet provide an innovative opportunity to deliver mental health clinical services and to increase access to expert clinicians? This edited volume, under the stewardship of Dr. Bob Hsiung, provides a comprehensive and cautious perspective on the above questions. From e-mail to chat-room therapy to community telepsychiatry programs, pioneering e-therapists share real 'cyberspace' clinical vignettes that are balanced by legal, ethical and consumer perspectives. This text is an excellent introduction to a brave new e-therapy world.'
Harry Karlinsky, M. D., M. Sc., F. R. C. P. C.
Director, Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia;
Co-Chair, Section of Telepsychiatry, Canadian Psychiatric Association
About the Author
Robert C Hsiung, M.D., is Deputy Medical Director of the Student Counseling and
Resource Service at the University of Chicago and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry.
As 'Dr. Bob,' he runs a Web site out of the University of Chicago that provides a wide
range of mental health information.
ISBN: 0-393-70370-3
October, 2002
Paperback, 250 pages
