The Internet has long changed our lives, and for finding products, services, leisure, work, education, and entertainment, there's no better guide than the Internet. 

When facing intrapersonal or interpersonal problems, people often start by searching for answers to their questions in the global network. The Internet is merely a quick way to get the necessary information, but will it be of quality? How can one choose from the endless online profiles of specialists, the one you will entrust yourself to and expect to receive the much-needed help and support? 

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What happens when the consultation is in person? Besides the time for the consultation itself, you need to allocate time for travel considering traffic. And if resistance and defense mechanisms kick in, which typically accompany the process of personality transformation, the chances of being late or not showing up at all are much higher with a face-to-face meeting than online. Another important point is that an online consultation through video, audio, or text chat can be obtained from a top-notch specialist located anywhere on our planet.

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Recent studies at the University of Bristol showed that 38% of depressive clients recovered to non-clinical scores after 4 months of online counseling. And the University of Leipzig confirmed that online counseling can be as effective as therapy in face-to-face sessions.

Furthermore, a review of the latest research in this field shows how useful online counseling is for specific client groups, such as expatriates or people who do not have access to in-person meetings for various reasons.

It is now proven that online counseling has another advantage – clients feel more confident receiving counseling at home or just in comfortable current surroundings, than in a psychologist's office. 

"Remote therapy" or online counseling is a new direction and requires a specialist of the highest level of professionalism and a creative approach to the counseling process.

Nevertheless, since psychotherapy is essentially a collaborative process, clients also need to contribute to achieving results. What is it about:

1. Confidentiality. Since clients usually participate in online sessions at home, they should ensure the protection of sessions and correspondence, including from household members.
2. Quality Internet. It is important for the session to have quality sound and, if needed, video consultation with good image quality because poor internet connection can interrupt the consultation, which in turn can reduce results.
3. Feedback and assignments. Therapy occurs not only during the session but also in the subsequent days until the next session, so it is important to complete assignments and, if necessary, ask questions, share thoughts in chat about changes that come into life when new behavior models are practiced.
4. Sabotage. Regularity and consistency of consultations are really important factors for effective therapy, and canceling a consultation is a sabotage of one's own benefit, even if the reasons for cancellation seem quite justified.
5. Therapeutic rapport. The lack of eye contact positively affects the work of both the therapist and the client, as the client focuses on what the psychologist says, and not on how they say it. This way, the client learns to hear themselves and express what is really happening inside.

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Every online psychologist is obliged to follow the code of ethics established by the psychological organizations to which they belong - this includes competence, confidentiality, protection of the client's interests, responsibility, ethics, and excludes personal and sexual relationships between the psychologist and the client.

iPsycholog - Your Psychologist Online.