While browsing Facebook, I came across an ad that showed two bottles filled with liquid. It read, "Don't bottle up your emotions, start e-counseling." E-Counseling? What in the world is e-counseling? How could something like that be effective through real-time chat, video conferencing or email? But then again what do I know? Let's look into the world of electronic counseling.

E-counseling has been around for a lot longer than I realized. Some of the earlier articles were dated 2009, I guess that makes sense. If you have a computer or phone you could do anything electronic (almost anyway). Lindsay Lyon, staff writer for health.usnews.com, states, "Online counseling holds tremendous promise, advocates say, because it bulldozes the barriers that bar people from face-to-face treatment, such as disability, distance, or hectic schedules. The anonymity also is alluring. But even staunch proponents of telemental health say that tapping into online therapy through E-mail and instant messaging requires caution. It may take just a few keystrokes to find a individual practitioner's website or sites that feature a menu of professionals, but there are several things you should consider before clicking 'Pay.'"

Although e-counseling might seem like a great idea, it can't replace the one-on-one therapy that may be needed in certain circumstances. There are certain limitations in conducting and receiving e-counseling. In an article written by Kendra Cherry, What is Online Therapy, she writes, "It is important to note that online therapy cannot be considered psychotherapy and will never replace traditional therapy. In many ways, e-therapy shares some similarities with life-coaching. While online therapists cannot diagnose or treat mental illness online, they can offer guidance and advice to people experiencing problems in relationships, work, or life."

For a busy mom, e-counseling would seem the best route, since I have no time to go anywhere let alone sit for 45 minutes to an hour for therapy. However, I feel that I could benefit from therapy, just to put some things in perspective. There are some issues with e-counseling like security issues i.e. computer hacking etc. The price can also be subject. Depending on your therapist it could be a charge per email exchange or per hour.

The idea behind e-counseling is to offer those who don't have the means to be face-to-face with a therapist the opportunity to be counseled from home or through email, video chat, or real-time chat. Not necessarily a new idea, but is growing as technology grows.