The days of feeling like you are the only one suffering with a particular problem are long gone. There are many great online communities that help people feel less isolated and alone by connecting them to others with similar concerns. The value of being able to talk to someone who has been there before is immeasurable and you can find terrific advice if you know where to look.
The downside of some online forums is the participants who are not coping well and scare newcomers with their horror stories. I remind my clients that you rarely hear about the people who get better because they move on and stop visiting the group. This explanation is usually met with a big sigh of relief. While it’s great to know that you’re not alone, it’s even better to hang out with the crowd that has figured it out.
More disheartening are businesses that capitalize on the fears of a particular group. My practice focuses on treating anxiety and OCD and many of my clients have spent huge sums of money on online programs that don’t deliver what they promise (one program in particular is extremely outdated and ridiculously expensive). My intention for creating the free online anxiety classes on www.wiredtoworry.com has not only been to help people but to provide an alternative community of support and good information. I want to contribute to a continuing discussion of how good life can be once you figure a way out of worry.
… read the complete story ~ http://issuu.com/onlinetherapyinstitute/docs/titliss10/22
This article first appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of TILT Magazine ~ Therapeutic Innovations in Light of Technology.
Click here to read the entire PDF version of the Searching for Help in All the Wrong Places article.
Christine Korol, PhD, is a cartoonist psychologist in private practice in Calgary, Canada, and the host/producer of a podcast on WiredToWorry.com that provides free online anxiety and stress reduction education videos.
