A Practical, Ethical, and Legal Guideline for Professional Therapists and Counselling Practices During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Professionals who consult online should understand the limitations of digital consults and comprehend the numerous legal and ethical concerns that apply to this task to maintain quality of service, prevent potential challenges, and support public safely. This chapter discusses contemporary ethical guidelines in online mental health care practice. The professional internet counselling ethical framework is explored in this chapter. The different principles of ethical issues in counselling and psychotherapy make it easy to understand the ethical responsibilities of online practice. It is important for online professionals to keep in mind that not all clients and/or problems should or can be resolved online. Some cases need in-office assessment or treatment. Online communication and pseudonyms provide some level of privacy for receiving services; therefore, it would be challenging for professionals to engage in therapeutic contact with clients whose identities they do not know. A trained professional should insist on knowing the identity of the online clients for two reasons. The client's safety is the primary priority. It is important for the practitioner to be able to provide concrete intervention if and when it is required. The main reason online professionals have to verify their clients' identities is to prevent dual relationships. Professionals must follow the limits of their professions and malpractice insurance policies when providing professional services online. In simple words, online practitioners are only permitted to provide professional care to customers who live in the state where the practitioner is certified or licensed. 

Keywords: COVID-19 outbreak, Ethical issues, Online psychotherapeutic interventions, Online psychotherapeutic counselling.