Welcome to…
Sign-up NOW!
What You Need to Know and Agree to:
General questions can be answered on Monday Nights 8:00pm EST on Dalnet (#CYBERpsych)
1) This service involves participating in:
*One free assessment session--WITH NO FURTHER OBLIGATION--NO MONEY UP FRONT!
*A minimum of three prepaid counseling sessions in an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel.
Some clients may benefit more from
IRC 'group' counseling, and after the initial assessment session,
be assigned to an appropriate group.
2)
Each IRC session will be a minimum of one hour
| A. | With written consent of the client |
| B. | By court order |
| C. | To assist medical personnel in a medical emergency |
| D. | To qualified program supervision, evaluation, audit, or research personnel |
| E. | To report to appropriate authorities a previously unreported felony crime |
| F. | To report to appropriate authorities the client's intent to harm themselves or others |
| G. | To report to appropriate authorities suspected child abuse or neglect |
| H. | There are limits to what is secure and confidential in transmission over the internet. No claim is made here that counseling transmissions over the internet are secure and confidential. |
4) Since CYBERpsych is the first of it's kind in the entire world, there may be some "bugs" that need to be worked out along the way. Using this service may involve a degree of patience to make it work for you. IRC has problems from time to time with connections, server lag, channel splits, and downtime. These are out of the control of CYBERpsych and will inevitably need to be dealt with from time to time. If IRC events create an unsatisfactory environment for an entire professional counseling session to occur, another session will be credited to you.
YOU WILL NEVER BE CHARGED FOR SERVICES YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE OR WITH WHICH YOU ARE DISSATISFIED.
5)
Counseling services will be provided by a masters level trained mental health counselor.
Your state or country may require a specific license or certification
for a counselor to provide "internet" counseling services to you. On the
internet, and specifically in IRC counseling, it is impractical,
and impossible for a CYBERpsych counselor to have licensure or
certifications in every state or country in the world.
CYBERpsych is legal to practice in both Indiana and Kentucky,
but to participate in this service you must agree that licensure
and certification by a remote, out-of-state CYBERpsych counselor
is not required for "internet"
counseling by your state or your country.
6)
You can expect services to be conducted in a professional manner,
and expect to be treated with dignity and respect.
7)
It will be your responsibility to be on time for sessions.
Any session missed without prior notice will be charged as
a full session. Notice can be given via e-mail, or by phone up
to one hour before the scheduled session. All session times will
be given in Eastern Standard Time.
8)
Due to the nature of IRC, there will be a lot of perceptive cues
and clues that will not be present in a counseling session. We
cannot see each other, or hear how the other sounds.
Even smell and touch will not be present. These
are very valuable cues for a counselor to help understand a client,
and…these are also important for a client to be able
to understand the counselor. In some ways these missing cues are
good…and in some ways they are bad. Clients and counselor
must be judged solely on the content of the text sent through
IRC. This can eliminate many biases, and it provides a great degree
of anonymity, which is desirable by some. You have the unique
opportunity to reveal only the information about yourself that
you feel needs to be discussed. You need not reveal physical characteristics,
economic status, disabilities, habits, or personal 'quirks'
unless you feel they are important in understanding your problem.
9) It is your responsibility
to enter into these counseling sessions free of the influence
of alcohol or other drugs. This is YOUR responsibility.
I probably won't know, but you won't get as much out of the session
as you could with a clear mind.
10)
CYBERpsych guarantees that the sessions will be conducted by a
masters level trained mental health counselor,
and that the above ten points of 'informed consent' will be abided.
You will be accepted as a client only after the initial free session.
This IRC counseling service is not for everyone, and you may or
may not benefit from these services.
To begin the process, click on the text below to sign up and send necessary information to get started. Make a copy of this page for your records. You must agree to all the terms on this page to be accepted. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!
I agree to all the terms of the'Sign-up Now' page on the CYBERpsych web site (Revision Date May 8, 1997). I understand that this IRC counseling service is not intended as a substitute for face to face therapy, and is not intended to be a treatment for serious mental illness. I am not under the care of a counselor or therapist. I am not suicidal or homicidal. I am over 18 years of age. I know how to use IRC (internet relay chat).
