What exactly is cyber-therapy? It can be a potent tool for change, assisting people in empowering their lives while working with a therapist or counselor online. Sometimes called online counseling, virtual therapy or e-therapy, this form of counseling routinely utilizes e-mail exchanges between counselor and client to help solve life challenges and learn coping techniques. The therapist and client may speak on the telephone, but the internet remains the primary means of communication.

Pros: People often open up faster during internet exchanges than in face to face counseling. Writing about their feeling and thoughts can have a freeing effect, encouraging faster insight that an office setting.

The exchange of emails gives clients time to reflect on what they've written, and what the therapist has said in reply. This inherent time delay can be of great benefit in working through thoughts, feelings, decisions and beliefs.

E-counseling is convenient. People can set their own pace. They can write from the comfort of their own home, and can send messages at any time of the day or night. In addition, clients can write as often as they like, knowing that everything will be read, and that they will typically receive a reply within 24 hours.

Getting out of the house to a face-to-face counseling session can sometimes be daunting. Parents of infants and small children have day care to contend with, and other people may find that certain emotional and physical conditions make travel difficult. Even if there are no professional counselors in the area, an online counselor can be available to help right away.

Unlike traditional therapy, online counseling provides a useful record of the counseling sessions. The e-mail exchanges allow the client and therapist to look back on their work together and evaluate it.

Online counseling is less expensive than traditional alternatives. There is no need for gas or travel, and people only pay for the time it takes their therapist to read their communications and write replies.

Cons: Therapists are unable to see their client during e-mail exchanges, and can miss certain physical expressions that would allow an easier understanding of a client's feelings. Misunderstandings are possible. Therefore, e-counseling can at times prove more challenging for the counselor.

E-therapy clients need to be able to write well enough to express their feelings and thoughts via e-mail.

Online work is inappropriate for some clients, including people who are currently in crisis or feel suicidal, people with serious emotional problems; people under the age of 18.

Online therapists cannot yet provide their clients with a formal diagnosis.

E-therapy is a pioneering work, and is therefore experimental.

Technology certainly supports this flexible therapeutic modality, allowing cyber-counseling to be a creative tool to provide convenient, affordable, competent therapy. E-therapy should not to be avoided simply because it veers from the traditional mold any more than it should be embraced because of its novelty. The quality of a therapist's training and experience, as well as the goodness of fit between counselor and client are ultimately more important than the setting in which the therapy takes place. Perhaps you will find virtual therapy worth exploring to see if it is right for you.