| In the last decade, there has been an effort to integrate the technology of electronic mail, also referred as email, into psychological practice. However, the arrival of this new communication technology has raised ethical, clinical and practical issues that range from longstanding and novel in their scope. The existing guidelines developed by a number of prominent organizations such as American Psychological Association fail to address specific properties of psychological interventions via email. Rather, these current guidelines are geared more towards abstract ethical concerns than practice. The goal of this study is to offer a practically oriented assessment of email intervention by integrating the current literature and focusing on the specific characteristics, benefits, risks, potentials, and limits of email intervention. It is hoped that greater clarity will be reached vis-a-vis integrating this new communication technology into the psychological arena and thereby reduce much of the existing uncertainty and unfamiliarity that now surrounds it.;It was concluded that email intervention could be effectively used in a number of modalities (i.e., information and advice giving, advocacy, and supportive therapy), as well as an adjunct to face-to-face therapy with the following caveats: the therapist must be able to verify the client's demographic information, which would include the authenticity of the consenting person, and it is highly recommended that an initial face-to-face evaluation take place before any engaging in any sustained email communication. The importance of developing a consent form specifically for email intervention as well as developing screening criteria that would include the scope of competency of the therapist were also presented.;It is hoped that this study will inform and guide the mental-health professionals who may be considering providing psychological services via this new modality, so that the advantages are made available to the public without the pitfalls that may be inherent in new modalities.;This study looked at whether email intervention could potentially serve as a substitute for face-to-face intervention modalities, and if not, to what extent it could be useful in a psychotherapy practice with respect to its limitations, risks, and benefits. |
