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Internet Group Therapy

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Internet access changes the way the we do things daily, we can bank online, apply for loans online, and go to school online, we can even attend group therapy online. The question that then needs to be asked is, will group therapy work if only done online? What are the requirements that are needed technology wise and socially? Can Internet group therapy be just as effective online as in an intimate group therapy session? Here we will look at if empathy can be construed over the internet and can the disinhibition that leads to toxic behaviors be contained.
Keywords: group therapy, empathy, social interest, primary groups, secondary group, group leader, group dynamics, open groups, closed groups, heterogeneous, homogeneous

Support Group Interests and the Internet
Hammond (2015) discusses at length the possibilities of internet group therapies …show more content…

Pros of having an effective online support group would be accessibility, being able to free from the constraints of time and distance. Members could also feel free to join late and leave early when life’s circumstances needed them to do so. Participants could also gain clarity from writing their feelings and self-expressions down in order for others to read. Sufferers of rare conditions could meet over long distances and share their trials and tribulations with each other. Drawbacks of possible internet support groups would include the technology required to access such groups, slower responsiveness or feedback to thoughts and emotions especially if those thoughts are of hurting one’s self or others. Inevitably the disinhibition that people sometimes feel leads to a toxic group environment and a lack of empathy. Falseness also is a large issue to be addressed since there is no concrete evidence that participants are who they claim they

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