The panel presented topics such as: client responses to online counseling, security issues, how to find a credible online therapist, and the accessibility to professional counseling especially for the handicapped. A live Q and A followed, even moving after the hour into an adjacent room to  address all the interactions from the participants.

Shortly, I will be commenting with some details on these subjects. If you are interested in viewing the panel presentation, it was recorded and will be posted here.

More conferences are likely in 2010 for the panel to expose to the world that Online Counseling is now available to the global community.

With You In Mind
Norm Quantz

In my video about jurisdictional restrictions relating to online counseling therapy, I referred to the client or public driven nature of having therapy services available online. In this video I expand on that topic.

With almost all other services available online today, it isn’t surprising that people want to access mental health services online also. The positive aspects of obtaining this service without leaving home are very appealing to many and are desirable for many reasons. People want to have the freedom to pick the therapist they want, and the freedom to choose how to access that therapy.

It is interesting to see the reaction from clients when they realize what is available and how they can do their counseling sessions online. Their eyes light up and they are amazed at the range of possibilities and systems we have in place. They love the fact that they don’t have to drive anywhere or deal with weather.

We do have our work cut out for us as therapists and professionals but it is also important that we make sure that our jurisdictional issues don’t restrict the public.

Please have a look at this video and I hope you will consider contributing your input on this very important subject as we venture into the future of counseling therapy.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

Using online video therapy as the model that I use in my private practice, in this video blog post I talk about the effectiveness of online counseling therapy in the case of a client who had dissociative identity disorder.

Sometimes the dissociative clients are afraid that they won’t get help unless they are in person with the therapist but the clients that I have helped in my online conference room have found these fears to be false. There are in fact certain advantages to not being in person with the therapist.

There is a different kind of safety and comfort level present here and clients often find it easier to express themselves within it because there is no physical threat in this environment. That is one less threat to worry about.

Other added advantages of using this medium is the ability for the client to text their story or even a portion of it if it is too difficult to speak of. Drawing diagrams or pictures on the whiteboard takes the place of paper used in “in person” sessions.

I have had “in person” clients who have transferred their sessions to the online medium, and they report that the using the conference room enhances their experience of therapy. In conclusion I would have to say that in my experience, online counseling therapy for dissociative identity disorder is very effective.

I am interested in your comments regarding using an online environment for the treatment of DID.

With You in Mind,
Norm Quantz

In this video I talk about the challenge between the freedom of the individual to access therapeutic services online from whomever they wish to, and the issue of jurisdictional restrictions and the laws that are in place.

With the technology available today and the World Wide Web, everything is changing. New guidelines need to be developed in relation to online counseling therapy. There are a few professional organizations such as the International Society for Mental Health Online, working on developing these guidelines. You may be interested in getting involved in helping to make the changes happen.

We have our work cut out for us as professionals, but I believe this service option for online therapeutic services will be driven by the general public and the clients who wish to access therapy from whomever they choose. We need to start thinking globally.

I welcome comments and opinions on this topic. Take a look at the video.

With You in Mind
Norm Quantz

It’s helpful in life if we anticipate some of the hurdles we might come across and prepare a little bit for how we will handle them.

In this video I talk about the book “Flight Plan ~ The Real Secret of Success” by Brian Tracy and I read something that Brian writes in reference to being prepared for some of the unexpected and often difficult events that may occur in our business life.

Being prepared increases our chances for success. Have a look at the following video and feel free to add your own ideas or suggestions.

To Your Success,
Norm Quantz

Flight Plan ~The Real Secret of Success by Brian Tracy
Berrett Koehler 2008
Referencing pages 85 and 86

There are many kind people who are compassionate and want to help and be kind. Sometimes however, people go beyond common sense in an attempt to do what is kind. Too much kindness in an interfering way becomes a control factor.

In this video I use the example of a parent with a 5 year old child. This parent goes to the extremes of hand feeding and even helping the child drink from a cup, believing that this demonstrates love. In this case the kindness actually interferes with personal growth and responsibility taking the child needs to learn. This child is not experiencing the value of accomplishing something on her own and gaining the important sense of self esteem and personal independence.

In this case, the mother has become the controller and child learns to be dependent on the parent. This lays the foundation for someone else to take advantage of the child, increasing vulnerability to another person dominating and controlling her and makes the child vulnerable for abuse. This foundation is not limited to childhood.

It is important that there is a balance between kindness and common sense. Have a look at this video and let me know your thoughts.

With you in Mind,
Norm Quantz

Click here to Download the workbook

Therapists are connecting to clients technically at the speed of light. Making it easier and less expensive for clients to connect to therapists is an honorable pursuit in our profession.

We are entereing an exciting new era. The changing Social and Ecological Landscape of the modern consumer wants instant access to your counselling services.

Norm is experienced in on-line counselling using confidential, face-to-face technology. He will discuss the pros and cons of the current technical options used by therapists including telephone, email, testing and web conferencing.

Be sure to download the pdf workbook of the powerpoint presentation.

This was presented at the Canadian Counselling Association’s National Conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on May 20, 2009.

Moving from one addiction to another or transferring addictions is a common problem for a lot of people. For instance people that conquer their drinking addiction but now have problems with an overeating addiction.

If the pressure is very high to stop an addiction, it is easy to move from one addiction to another. When there is a need to substitute real life with an addiction it’s time to take a look at the addictive mindset. Take a look at when you first realized you were addicted. Why did the addiction seem to work? What were you using it for? What benefit did you get from it? Are there similar responses to events from your childhood?

This video is an expansion of my previous video on addictions. Maybe you have successfully dealt with one addiction but you can’t figure out why you now have a different one. Take a look at this short video. I welcome your comments and feedback.

With You in Mind,
Norm