Assignment : Internet-Based Psychological Interventions

With so many individuals using the Internet today, the psychology of the individual, the family, the community, and the society has changed. Some might argue that the traditional psychological theories cannot be applied and therefore psychology as an entire field needs to be revamped to incorporate the impact and the application of internet technology. As a student completing a bachelor's degree in psychology, your future career will undoubtedly incorporate the use of the Internet in very new ways. Read the following article from the AUO Library:

Ritterband, L. M., Gonder-Frederick, L., Cox, D. J., Clifton, A. D., West,

R. W., & Borowitz, S. M. (2003). Internet interventions: In review,

in use, and into the future. Professional Psychology: Research and

Practice, 34(5), 527-534.

Identify a problem area or psychological issue that could benefit from the use of an internet intervention. Now, using what you learned from the article, propose an internet intervention using the following guidelines:

What problem area would the internet intervention address?

Provide a general description of the proposed internet intervention.

How would the effectiveness of the proposed intervention be tested?

What are any legal and ethical issues related to the proposed intervention? Include the specific APA ethical standard(s) in your response.

Internet therapies are a rapidly growing segment of psychotherapeutic interventions used by clinicians today. Telehealth, and other internet programs are currently being used to treat a burgeoning number of disorders from Major Depressive Disorder to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Internet interventions allow Psychologists to reach a greater number and diversity of clients than was previously possible.

Individuals who live in rural areas, for example, now may have greater access to care. However, therapy can be a very complex process which may or may not translate via the internet. Some models of therapy rely greatly on empathy and discussion of behavioral observations which may prove difficult when the client is not in the same room as the therapist. Research into the effectiveness of internet interventions is in its infancy so it may take some time to know the efficacy of such treatments.