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Social work practice in the digital age: therapeutic e-mail as a direct practice methodology
1Department of Social Work, Providence College, Providence, RI 02918, USA. mmattisn@providence.edu
Social Work
|December 21, 2012
Summary
Therapeutic email in social work offers benefits like wider reach but poses risks to client privacy and practitioner liability. Formal training and clear guidelines are needed for safe, effective online practice.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Social Work
- Digital Health
- Teletherapy
Background:
- Growing consumer demand for online clinical services outpaces professional adaptation.
- Email offers potential to extend therapeutic relationships and reach remote populations.
- Current professional response lacks adequate guidelines for therapeutic email use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the risks and benefits of integrating therapeutic email into clinical social work.
- To identify ethical and legal challenges associated with email-based interventions.
- To propose recommendations for establishing best-practice standards in therapeutic email communication.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on digital communication in social work.
- Analysis of ethical considerations and legal implications.
- Identification of current gaps in professional training and guidelines.
Main Results:
- Email can enhance therapeutic relationships and treatment outcomes.
- Significant risks include breaches of client confidentiality and privacy.
- Practitioners face challenges with liability, licensing, and lack of competency standards.
Conclusions:
- The social work profession requires formal academic training for therapeutic email.
- Development of instructive guidelines and best-practice standards is crucial.
- Addressing ethical and legal risks is essential for safe and effective therapeutic email practice.
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