Ethical issues of on-line psychological counseling

The article deals with disputable issues of psychological councelling at the internet. It oulines general and peculiar ethical problems that proved distrubing in the process of distant councelling. They are licencing, confidentiality, client’s and councellor’s identification and crisis interventions (suicide intentions, clients who are dangerous for the other people). The discussion concerns ethical issues of the internet the whole society, for instance, probability of negative emotional and social effects of vitrual communication on family and personal life, internet-addiction. The author provides his classification and description of the main ethical problems in the process of therapeutical on-line communication. The ways of solving these problems as well as perspectives for adapation of forign experience in Russian psychological science and practice are scetched. The demand for development and adaptation of leading ethical priciples regulating internet usage in different psychological services together with informing councelling psychologists and the other specialists about the emerging ethical issues is shown.

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