w w w . on l in e t h e r a p y instit u t e . c o m
S t e p h e n G o ss
e $US900billion
health around the world? increasing Internet access around the globe, Ford and Ford’s findings regarding the positive impact Internet use has on mental health and the additional impact provision of therapy for a range of conditions might be expected to have, development of ever more effective online treatments combined with the worldwide reach of online therapists, it is easy to see how more and more people will be able to find relief through online counselling and psychotherapy. Who understands the need for encryption? On a different, more cautious note, the safety of conducting therapy over the Internet has been highlighted once again by a major UK based survey conducted for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO - the UK lead body responsible for data protection) (YouGov, 2011). The key finding, from a weighted sample (adjusted to be representative of the population as a whole) of 1998 British adults, was that 40% of home Wi-Fi users are unaware of how to operate even fairly basic privacy and security settings or procedures to protect information. The survey was carried out by YouGov, a respected independent research company, and only included people who could respond online – a sample who by definition will have
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