Is Online Counseling Right for You?

September 2, 2010 in Online Therapy | Tags: , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | Leave a comment

How can you determine if online counseling is right for you?

Online counseling has both benefits and disadvantages to the user.  But how can you even figure out if it might work for you?  There are a few factors to consider.  Online therapy is very similar to face-to-face (f2f) therapy is that it involves rapport building, communication skills, putting time into the therapeutic relationship, and paying for services.  So what do you need to consider if you want to start working with an online therapist?

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
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Relationship Complaints – Changing Perspectives

August 26, 2010 in Therapist Advice | Tags: , , , , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | 2 comments

What are some things that bother you in your relationship?

Chances are other couples are saying the same thing!

Couples complain about seemingly minor things that drive them ‘bananas’ about their partners.  Anything from snoring to how they part their hair might be on the list.  Some researchers have shown that men and women will differ in what they see as bothersome in their relationship.  In a recent article entitled, You’re Driving Me Crazy, the author mentions that these differences are greatly influential on how satisfied we will be with our relationships.  The author mentions that University of Louisville psychologist Michael Cunningham has found the following:

Men’s complaints about women include:

  • the silent treatment
  • bringing up things he’s done in the distant past
  • being too hot or too cold
  • being critical
  • being stubborn and refusing to give in


Women’s complaints about men include:

  • forgetting important dates, like birthdays or anniversaries
  • not working hard at his job
  • noisily burping or passing gas
  • staring at other women
  • being stubborn and refusing to give in

How do these relate to your relationship? Do you have similar complaints?

If so, how can you improve how you view your relationship?

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Getting Married? – Distance Premarital Counseling

August 19, 2010 in Online Therapy | Tags: , , , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | Leave a comment

The decision to get married is a big one!

One that might cause anxiety even if you are sure you have made the right decision.  Anxiety, or being worried, can start from the moment you say ‘Yes’ and last right through until you are standing at the altar!

Premarital counseling is a step some couples are taking to increase their rate for success down the line.  Couples choose to engage in premarital counseling for a variety of reasons.

But what is premarital counseling?  The Mayo Clinic defines premarital counseling as ‘a type of therapy that helps clients prepare for marriage’. Some common concerns discussed during premarital counseling sessions can include financial goals, ideas about starting a family, role expectations, and intimacy issues, just to name a few.  The length of time the couples would be receiving sessions would vary among couples, depending on their treatment needs and the therapeutic approach of their counselor.

How does online premarital counseling work?

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Back to School Already? – Coping with new school year anxiety.

August 14, 2010 in Therapist Advice | Tags: , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | 1 comment

Belky Perez Schwartz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and on Breakthrough.com. Read more about Belky Perez Schwartz on her website.

Getting ready for the new school year can cause some stress.  Taking steps to decrease this anxiety for children can really make the process go smoothly.

Many of us tend to leave things for the last minute. This makes us feel nervous about the tasks that need to get done – the same holds true for children.  Being able to talk about these stresses can help.  Allow children to vent whenever they show signs of anxiety.

What are some signs to look for?

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The Ethics of Online Diagnostics: Dr. Anthony Ragusea’s Perspective

August 9, 2010 in Online Therapy, Therapist Advice | Tags: , , , , | by Breakthrough | 1 comment

Dr. Anthony Ragusea is a currently a practicing clinical psychologist in Key West, Florida and on Breakthrough.com.

Clinical psychologists like myself see great potential in telehealth, but
we see major obstacles as well. Psychological assessment is a core skill
for psychologists and a major part of their practices (at least for most).
My view is not that computers are an inappropriate modality for
psychological testing, my view, (as I will explain) is that many of our
most important and rigorously designed tests simply cannot be administered
remotely using computers.

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Online Therapy for the LGBTQ Couple – Part II

August 6, 2010 in Couples Therapy | Tags: , , , , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | Leave a comment

Belky Perez Schwartz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and on Breakthrough.com. Read more about Belky Perez Schwartz on her website.

In my last post, I discussed how online counseling may be an ideal approach to therapy for LGBTQ couples.  In this post, I will go into what options exist for treatment and how they would be used by a couple.

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Online Therapy for the LGBTQ Couple – Part I

August 5, 2010 in Couples Therapy | Tags: , , , , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | Leave a comment

Belky Perez Schwartz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and on Breakthrough.com. Read more about Belky Perez Schwartz on her website.

You may not think of online counseling as a place for receiving couples counseling, but more and more, it is being seen as an option for many couples. As Natasha Murashev mentioned in a previous post, online couple’s therapy can pose many benefits for both partners.

But what about the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning) population? Do they too receive the same benefit as heterosexual couples? In my practice, one of my specialties is providing therapy to LGBTQ couples.  Individuals will present to my office or online chat session with similar complaints – ‘I can’t find a therapist that understands what I’m going through.’  Issues related to gay marriage, adoption challenges, or discrimination through several social and institutional levels are but a few area of concerns with LGBTQ couples.

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The Ethics Of Telehealth: An Interview With Anthony Ragusea

August 2, 2010 in Online Therapy | Tags: , , , | by Natasha Murashev | 1 comment

Some therapists have serious reservations about telehealth (health services through video, phone, chat, or email). Some feel they need to be in the same room as the client. Others feel online information is not protected enough online. According to Dr. Anthony Ragusea, an expert in the field of telehealth ethics, there is absolutely nothing fundamentally unethical about telehealth.  Telehealth has its unique challenges and an understanding of these challenges is required in adapting, but there are also unique advantages that telehealth provides.

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Time fixes everything… or does it? Rituals may help healing in the grieving process.

July 30, 2010 in Therapist Advice | Tags: , , , , | by Belky Perez Schwartz, LMHC | Leave a comment

Belky Perez Schwartz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida and on Breakthrough.com. Read more about Belky Perez Schwartz on her website.

It seems that when we lose loved ones, everyone is always trying to say the right thing to make us feel better. However, words may not always be what help during the grieving process.  Being able to do something, perhaps initiating a ritual or using creative energy to memorialize a loved one can also be an outlet for emotional pain.

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How Providing Self Help Will Actually Improve Your Practice: An Interview with Arlene Unger

July 20, 2010 in Online Therapy | Tags: , , , , , | by Natasha Murashev | Leave a comment

Many counselors are hesitant to provide their clients with self-help materials because they see self-help as competition to their practice. Dr. Arlene Unger, the co-founder of Real Psychology Solutions, disagrees. Dr. Unger provided the following reasons why all counselors and coaches should provide their clients with self-help materials and how providing them will actually improve your practice.
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