Frequently Asked Questions

When is online counseling a good choice?

Online counseling is ideal for people who are comfortable with putting their thoughts and feelings in writing; for people who want anonymity, privacy, convenience and easy access, flexibility, to save time, get fast responses, and effective results.

It is a good choice for people who have difficulty getting to a counselor, are isolated, have a busy schedule, who are uncomfortable or anxious about face to face counselling, have physical limitations, prefer the privacy, or just prefer e-mail as a convenient and relaxed mode of communication.

When is online counseling not a good choice?

While there are many benefits of online counseling, it is not appropriate for everyone and cannot replace existing therapy or medical treatments. Online counseling does not allow for interpretation of voice tone, body language, and other forms of non-verbal communication that are a part of traditional therapy. There may be technical difficulties, which may delay responses.

a. If this is an emergency, if you feel suicidal, homicidal, or like you want to hurt yourself of someone else, IMMEDIATELY call 911 or your doctor, or go to the nearest emergency room!

b. If you have any psychotic symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, thought disorganization).
c. If you need intense support, phone contact, hospitalization.
d. If you are addicted to drugs or alcohol or if you have a psychiatric illness.

e. If you need a medical diagnosis or a prescription. 

If you have used our services and we are unable to help you for any reason, we will refund your money and assist you in finding someone in your area to help you.

How is the communication confidential and private?

OnlineCounseling.org will never give your information to anyone. We use the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association to maintain the strictest confidentiality. All names and personal information are never given to other parties for any other use, including marketing and promotional purposes. The only exception is danger to self or others, as is true in any case where you see a therapist.

When you submit your counseling question it's electronically sent to a secured area, from where it's immediately retrieved. After you end your session, your account is closed and all information is removed from the computer system. No information is stored. 

The only information you need to provide is your name or pseudonym, email address and your situation. Within the limitations of security inherent in e-mail communication, internet counseling is just as confidential as "regular" counseling. For full details, please see the Privacy Policy.

How do I pay and what will this cost me?

You can make your payment by using your Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discovery, Paypal or bank account. Using Paypal is free and signing up for an account is optional. Paypal accepts payment in other currencies including Euros and Yen. OnlineCounseling.org does not have access to your financial information. We only get notification of your payment, and this serves also as verification of your identity to prevent fraudulent use of your card or account.

I didn't get a response within 48 hours. What do I do?

If you have not received a response within 48 hours, our email has not been allowed into your inbox. Please contact us immediately at info@onlinecounseling.org or onlinecounseling@yahoo.com. 

The situations where this can occur is either an email server may block our email to you or if you have spam software, our email may be filtered into a folder other than your inbox. In the meantime, add us to your trusted list of senders, contacts, address book, friends or white list. You can also try to contact us through a Yahoo or Hotmail email account.

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