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Internet Connection -- Cyber Counseling
A Place To Talk... Profiled in the Bucks County Courier Times
October 8, 2003

(Full article included below image..)

Cyber counseling
By Athena D. Merritt
Bucks County Courier Times

By all appearances, she seemed happy.

Not one friends or family would expect to slip distraught into the office of a psychotherapist.

For the unhappy housewife, who was considering divorce, privacy was paramount.

So, she sent off an email instead, becoming the first person psychotherapist Ethel Wagner would help without seeing or talking to face-to-face.

Four years later, the need for privacy, coupled with convenience, continues to draw clients to Wagner’s email counseling sessions available at www.aplacetotalk.com.

"I know there are people, for one reason or another who can’t get out to see a therapist, but need one. This enables them to sit in their home or office whenever they need the time," said Wagner, who has a master’s in counseling psychology from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia.

The emails arrive from Spain, England, Mexico and from throughout the United States.

They come from mothers, while their children nap. From teenagers with problems they don’t want to discuss at home.

They come from doctors, lawyers, single mothers and fathers.

From whoever is time-pressed or searching for anonymous help.

In face-to-face sessions, it sometimes takes two to three sessions before a client’s privacy guard thaws to reveal the problem that brought them to seat themselves before Wagner. The anonymity of email sometimes clears that path faster, she said.

"They know they are never going to bump into me and if they did I’m not going to know them," said Wagner, who added, "There are still some people who are embarrassed that they need help from someone."

Wagner assists clients with relationship concerns, separation issues, divorce recovery, parenting issues, life changes, stress management and low self-esteem. Not everyone can be helped through email, said Wagner. In some cases, she recommends traditional therapy for those she receives inquiries from that are suffering from more serious problems.

The email sessions cost $[30] per session, which includes a two-way exchange — one email from the client and a reply from Wagner. Prior to the first session there is a consultation, in which the client emails a detailed description of his or her problem. Wagner responds to all emails within 48 hours. Payments are accepted through PayPal, but other arrangements can be made, said Wagner.