Ask Joan Lachkar, Ph.D.
Creative Online Psychotherapy
What is Online Therapy?
Online Individual/Marital Therapy is an experience that occurs between
two or three people, the individual and the therapist or the couple and
the therapist. It is an interactive process with Joan Lachkar, PhD. -
author, supervisor, lecturer and international scholar - by means of
e-mail correspondence. You should contact Joan Lackhard through our
inquiry form to get the therapy process started. You will receive an
e-mail response and we will then schedule an appointment with you (and/or your partner) with
Joan Lachkar, Ph.D.
What Online Therapy has to offer?
- Internet users find this approach to be efficient, short term,
directive and highly focused.
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- It is time, energy and cost efficient, and the services are
available to people throughout the country.
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- It offers a level of privacy and anonymity within the comfort of
your own home.
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- It acts as a healthy transitional space for those too shy,
inhibited or embarrassed to approach a therapist in person.
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- The email records are for your personal use and can be
referenced at anytime, a way of documentation in form of a personal
journal with the help of a trained mental health professional.
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- Online therapy offers the opportunity to work through defense
mechanisms making it easier to identify and understand the basic
issues (defense mechanisms attack the ego and destroy capacity for
reality testing, judgment, perception, etc.).
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Why does Online Therapy work?
Through Online Therapy you will find out that your issues and problems
are not unique. We are all dominated by universal needs and when these
needs are not met, certain defense mechanisms become the replacement
(avoidance, denial, shame, blame). Professional therapists are trained to
diminish these defenses in order to bring to the surface real needs and
feelings. Being online, oddly enough, encourages all parties involved to
remain focused, to the point, and there is less chance of diverting off
the track. You will be surprised at how enlightening and efficient this
process is.
Joan Lachkar, Ph.D. will do an initial assessment with you. After that, you will be provided with feedback
and any recommendations she believes are appropriate. People who work this
way find online therapy gets quickly to the point with a clear focus. At
the end of your session(s), you will receive a brief summary of what your
issues are so that if you decide to continue with further treatment in the
area you live or work, you can show this to your current therapist.
Therapists find it is extremely helpful in identifying and clarifying the
problem and how to face and stay in continual contact with the “real”
issues and not the defenses that get in the way (see
The “V”-Spot).
What are the advantages of Online Therapy?
Most people feel the biggest advantage of online therapy is that they can
take as much time as they need to think out exactly what information they
want to present. You can compose your thoughts when and where you want to.
Most people find that being alone without distractions allows them to
really get to the heart of their issues. Also, if you choose e-mail
interaction, you'll have printable documents from your sessions, which you
can review whenever you like. Another advantage is that you don't have to
schedule appointments if your interactions are simply by e-mail –
telephone sessions require scheduling. You go at your own pace and take
all the time you need to work through things whenever you want to. Like
other people who have received counseling online, you'll find that writing
about your concerns and then reading the individualized responses to you
is an incredibly fast, productive, and enlightening process.
Why Ask Joan Lachkar, Ph.D.?
This process differs from other approaches in that a psychotherapeutic
/ psychodynamic method offers a more in-depth approach than counseling or
coaching, and goes beyond surface issues. For example, people may think
their issues are about money, sex, custody, material objects, but the real
concerns are about shame/blame, envy, guilt, jealousy, betrayal,
abandonment, entitlement, domination and control.
How does online counseling work with a partner?
If you and your significant other would like to engage in joint online
therapy, you will both need to have an assessment by Joan Lachkar, Ph.D.,
after which you will be asked to arrange a method of
payment (credit card). Each partner has an opportunity via email to
express their view regarding the issues in the relationship. The therapist
then will respond and give feedback to both partners. Confidentiality in
conjoint therapy is waived and it is up to the discretion of the therapist
what is to be shared. If additional time is needed, telephone sessions can
be arranged to accommodate your special needs.
Joan Lachkar, Ph.D. has Expertise in the Treatment of Cross-Cultural
Relations (Applicable for Individuals, Corporations, Group, Nations. See
Psychohistory). In a
society that is becoming more and more diverse, our offices are beginning
to resemble a mini-United Nations. What dependency, shame, guilt, envy,
jealousy, needs mean in one culture take on an entirely different face in
another. In the West we are dominated by needs of the individual; in other
societies by needs of the group. So it is a "me-me"/ "I" society vs. a
"we"/ "group" society. Joan Lachkar's specific areas encompass the Middle
East, Asia as well as Hispanic and interracial couples. Joan Lachkar also
treats homosexual couples but does not view their dynamics as different
from heterosexual couples.
Who can benefit from Online Therapy?
- Psychotherapeutic tools offer valuable insights and guidelines
that venture beyond individual and couple therapy.
- Cross Cultural Couples
- Homosexual Individuals/Couples
- Divorce/Mediation
- Groups, partnerships, families, siblings, institutions, nations
(consultation with international scholars)
What are the fees for Online Counseling?
One email session costs $75 payable by
credit card. A joint session is $120 and includes a one-hour session (time
to evaluate and respond to both assessments). An individual 45-minute phone
session is $110. A conjoint hour-long phone session is $150. The initial response includes a thorough evaluation including any e-mail follow-ups for supporting
information or clarification you may be asked for, developing an
individualized response, and making recommendations and referrals as
needed.
When is Online Counseling not recommended?
Online Counseling is not appropriate:
- When someone is thinking of hurting himself or herself, committing
suicide, or thinking of hurting someone else.
- When physical danger or in danger of being physically or sexually
abused.
- When there is actual or suspected physical or emotional abuse of a
child.
- When someone is physically or severely emotionally abusive and
continually abuses or sabotages the treatment (let alone the
relationship).
- When someone is addicted to substance/alcohol abuse, or any self
destructive methods.
The above circumstances are more appropriately handled by a crisis
hotline, going to a hospital emergency room, or by calling 911.
- National Suicide Hotline: 1 800 784-2433
- American Suicide Foundation: 1 800 531-4477
- Crisis Help line (for any kind of crisis): 1 800 233-4357
- National Domestic Violence Hotline 1 800 799-7233
- Youth Crisis Hotline 1 800 448-4663
- Child Abuse Hotline 1 800 540-4000
- The Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute Tel: (858) 623-2777
ext. 445; Fax: (858) 646-0761
All fees in any of those situations would be refunded.
The following circumstances are also not appropriate for online
counseling:
- If you are under 18 years old.
- Any special situations that Joan Lachkar identifies that may make you
unsuitable for this email psychotherapy after completing your
assessment.
Click here for links to:
- Referrals
- Books/Articles
- Cross-Cultural Relationships
- Psychohistory
- Shopping Cart
- Observing Ego
- Free associations
Contact Joan Lachkar,
Ph.D. |
