Therapy?
While eTherapy may be effective in many situations it is not equivalent to in-person Therapy. It's important to draw this distinction not because eTherapy is less effective, but rather to ensure everyone understands that they are not receiving the same service as they would if they saw a therapist in person. eTherapy and Therapy are not in opposition to each other. They are simply two different tools that can sometimes effect the same ends. Given that, what are the differences?
A very straightforward analogy might liken the comparison to hiking vs. working out with a personal trainer. While hiking you might receive maps and feedback from a park ranger to help guide you on your journey. Ultimately, you go on the adventure, make most of the choices and do most of the work yourself. You create the goal using the experienced, professioinal feedback you're given to make the choices on how to get there. Working out with a personal trainer, on the other hand, provides more immediate feedback and guidance as well as a detailed plan of action created by the trainer who can easily check your compliance. You create the goal and the experienced professional creates the plan for how you get there and monitors your progress very closely. In the end, you may accomplish simliar goals (exercise, improved condition/health) albeit through very different processes.It's important to note that this is a very simplistic analogy since you actually can monitor progress through eTherapy and if you desire, an eTherapist can take a more directive approach. Typically in both my eTherapy and Therapy work, I value a collaborative approach where the person I work with is empowered to make their own goals and choices, bolstered by feedback I provide.
Cost - eTherapy is usually less expensive that Therapy. Ultimately, this depends how good your insurance coverage for Therapy is, but there are some tradeoffs when you utilize insurance.
Convenience - eTherapy typically affords more flexibilty in scheduling, especially when using email. You can compose your email while thoughts and emotions are still fresh. You can also schedule an IM session outside office hours or at a time you typically couldn't visit an office.