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." Table of Contents: Contributors Introduction: The Clinical Potential of the Internet - Robert C. Hsiung Acknowledgments The Information Explosion in Mental Health - Robert S. Kennedy The Internet 'Expert': Problems and Perils - Ronald Pies Using E-Mail to Support the Outpatient Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa - Joel Yager A Model Community Telepsychiatry Program in Rural Arizona - Sara F. Gibson, Susan Morley, Catherine Romeo-Wolff Chat Room Therapy - Gary S. Stofle Clinical Principles to Guide the Practice of E-Therapy - Peter M. Yellowlees Suggested Principles of Professional Ethics for E-Therapy - Robert C. Hsiung The Legal Implications of E-Therapy - Nicolas P. Terry My Life as an E-Patient - Martha Ainsworth Advance Acclaim: "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 from the publisher's website
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