Providing counseling services online. Also called "Internet therapy," "virtual therapy," "e-therapy," "cybertherapy," "online counseling" and "telepsychiatry," true teletherapy is provided by credentialed mental health professionals.
Teletherapy became popular during COVID-19, not only because people stayed at home and it was more convenient, but because staying at home 24/7 was one of the causes of depression. While medical doctor "telehealth" visits may not be as beneficial as a physical visit, online therapy counseling can be very effective. When sitting in the same room, therapists read their client's facial expressions and tone of voice, and those aspects can usually be ascertained equally as well online. See
telehealth.
AI to the Rescue
As mental health issues have risen in the U.S. and other countries in the 21st century, AI chatbots are increasingly augmenting, as well as entirely substituting for, human counseling (see
Woebot and
Kokobot).