ETHICAL PRACTICE ONLINE: AN EXPLORATION OF PROVIDER LIABILITY
RISK AMONG PRACTITIONERS IN THE EMERGING FIELD OF ONLINE
THERAPY
by : Kristie Holmes, Ph.D. Union University
Available on "Study Updates" Page.
Participate in the follow up survey (2 minutes) on future topics you want to see published!
Little attention has been given to liability issues and practitioner vulnerability in the rapidly emerging modality of online therapy. The purpose of this study was to explore ethical issues and identify potential risks of liability faced by mental health professionals in three areas of online practice: qualifications and training, domain of practice, and delivery of services. A sample of 232 online providers who were members of the International Society for Mental Health Online (International Society for Mental Health Online) completed an online survey containing items asking about their online therapy procedures and ethical practice. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to examine the distribution and patterns of item responses. In addition, t tests were used to compare responses of the participants grouped by two key online therapist characteristics, gender, and domicile of practice. Results indicated that participants were well qualified to provide mental health services with respect to educational and credential requirements (licensure). Issues of possible liability were uncovered with respect to domain of practice in the virtual world, with a significant number of therapists delivering online services outside their licensed geographical boundaries. Although most online practices were congruent with those of traditional therapy, the majority of providers did not know if their malpractice insurance covered online therapy, putting them at risk in the case of a practice lawsuit. Comparison by gender revealed no differences, and by domicile few differences suggesting that risk of liability were concerns experienced by online therapists in general. Results of this study will be useful for professional organizations and educational institutions as basis for increasing the level of clarity about ethical practice as well as providing the necessary elements for future trainings, and by regulating bodies to establish consistent standards and develop legal safeguards to guide and protect practitioners in their practice. And finally, information from this study can be used to focus further research on ethical practice in online therapy and provide a baseline for future studies examining the relationship between the ethics and efficacy of online therapy.
Please see "Study Updates" Page for the most current updates on where we are in this study.
If you are an online mental health professional, it is likely that you have noticed the increasing apprehension about liability in our practice online. Complaints against online mental health professionals are already beginning to appear in Attorneys General offices in a number of states in the
As an online therapist, I also am very concerned about liability. Therefore, I have chosen to pursue this topic for my dissertation research project. My goal is to learn more about the liability issues and dilemmas faced by online therapists. I plan to disseminate the findings of my research to the professional organizations that regulate our licenses, and to lawmakers who determine laws to protect those of us who deliver mental health services online.
I would be very grateful if you would share your thoughts and perspectives about the liability issues you face. I have prepared a user-friendly online survey (link below) that should take no more than 12-15 minutes to complete. I am aware of how valuable your time is and am offering some incentives as a “thank you” for your participation.
The survey is completely anonymous and housed on a secure site. There is no identifying information asked for and your IP internet address will be stripped by the third party program housing the survey.
When you click “Done” at the end of the survey, you will be completely decoupled from the survey program and sent to a totally separate website. There, you will be given the choice of participating in a random drawing—my way of saying “thank you” for your assistance. One individual will receive a $250 Amazon gift card, ten more will each receive a $15 Starbucks gift card, and everyone else will receive a $5 gift card. Please see the study update page for winners!
Please follow this link to go directly to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MgABIQo6VzS4J_2f_2b49aT2UQ_3d_3d
Again, I wish to thank you for considering my request and do hope you are able to help me in my efforts to gather about online therapy liability to the stakeholders who will be able to use this information on our behalf.
Thank you for your time.
