Professionals who consult online should understand the limitations of digital
consults and comprehend the numerous legal and ethical concerns that apply to this
task to maintain quality of service, prevent potential challenges, and support public
safely. This chapter discusses contemporary ethical guidelines in online mental health
care practice. The professional internet counselling ethical framework is explored in
this chapter. The different principles of ethical issues in counselling and psychotherapy
make it easy to understand the ethical responsibilities of online practice. It is important
for online professionals to keep in mind that not all clients and/or problems should or
can be resolved online. Some cases need in-office assessment or treatment. Online
communication and pseudonyms provide some level of privacy for receiving services;
therefore, it would be challenging for professionals to engage in therapeutic contact
with clients whose identities they do not know. A trained professional should insist on
knowing the identity of the online clients for two reasons. The client's safety is the
primary priority. It is important for the practitioner to be able to provide concrete
intervention if and when it is required. The main reason online professionals have to
verify their clients' identities is to prevent dual relationships. Professionals must follow
the limits of their professions and malpractice insurance policies when providing
professional services online. In simple words, online practitioners are only permitted to
provide professional care to customers who live in the state where the practitioner is
certified or licensed.
Keywords: COVID-19 outbreak, Ethical issues, Online psychotherapeutic interventions, Online psychotherapeutic counselling.
