With so many services available online, computers are taking over more and more aspects of our lives. They've even entered the one realm where -- on the surface at least -- it doesn't make sense to use them: psychotherapy.

It's now possible to consult an online therapist via e-mail or private chat room for virtually any type of psychological problem. At first glance, consulting with someone online might seem to miss the point of therapy: looking into someone's eyes, pouring out your soul, and being able to read nonverbal clues to figure out what's going on. But for some people, these limitations are what attracts them to e-therapy in the first place.

Most people take the plunge into cybertherapy the way Jenny did (name changed). A 22-year-old administrative assistant, Jenny suffers from depression, anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (a condition where the person is preoccupied with imaginary physical defects).

Despite an alarming array of symptoms, including compulsively counting her fingers and toes and difficulty breathing due to panic, Jenny didn't seek traditional therapy because she was embarrassed. Instead, she went online for guidance -- and found it. She wrote to several therapists and began corresponding with one via e-mail. "I was basically looking for someone to tell me that my problems were in fact something I should seek professional help for," she notes.

Although not everyone is afflicted by symptoms as debilitating as Jenny's, mental illness, in one form or another, is quite common. The Center for Mental Health Services, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, estimates that more than 41 million adults experience a mental disorder during their lifetime. Untold numbers are thought to suffer from lesser problems related to the mental and emotional health. But there is no way of estimating how many people are seeking therapy online.

According to the online guide, the ABC's of Internet Therapy, which compiles and reviews cybertherapy sites, there were only 12 sites devoted to psychotherapy in 1996; today there are about 200. Concerned Counseling, the largest cybertherapy service on the Net, has over 200 therapists and handles approximately 30 private sessions a day -- figures that suggest that the total number of online therapy users is probably in the thousands.

And it seems to be growing rapidly. According to Mike Collins, vice president of Concerned Counseling, the site, which is just two years old, had over 250,000 visitors in December. At least one managed care company is starting to get interested, too. Concerned Counseling is testing a plan with one company whereby they offer counseling over the phone. If all goes well, Internet services will be added, too.

There are two ways to use the Internet for therapy: via e-mail correspondence or via private chat room. Because it is a new venture and therapists are still experimenting with it, the first e-mail question is sometimes answered for free. After that, therapists generally charge between $20 and $35 per response, or $1.50 per minute for a minimum of 15 minutes based on the time they spend reading and answering the message. If the client prefers to us a private chat room, prices range from $30 for 30 minutes to $80 for 50 minutes. Either way, Internet therapy generally ends up costing less than face-to-face therapy, which usually runs upwards of $100 per 50-minute session. It is not currently covered by health insurance, but some people use it for that very reason, fearing that a history of mental health treatment will somehow be used against them.

Not surprisingly, the gateway to contacting the therapist is always via a website, where information about the type of services is available. In addition to an e-mail address, this often includes a phone number and address, the therapist's credentials, instructions about contacting the therapist, when to expect a response and payment information and instructions. Some therapists post a photo and include links or book titles for more information about specific problems. Almost all of them state what kinds of problems they feel comfortable handling. They often note that if there is an emergency -- for instance if the person is considering suicide -- cyberspace is not the place to seek help.

But a website with some degrees listed and a photo is no guarantee. The fact is, users have no way of knowing if the person they're contacting is a licensed mental health professional, has the appropriate experience, or is even an adult. One way consumers can verify a therapist's credentials is through Credential Check. Created in 1997 by John Grohol, one of the first psychologists to use the Internet, and Martha Ainsworth, founder of the ABC's of Internet Therapy site, Credential Check independently investigates a therapist['s credentials. Once accepted, the therapist puts the Credential Check logo on his or her website so patients know someone else has looked up the information.

Most people, however, don't bother to verify if a therapist is legitimate. Jenny found a list of therapists through AOL and contacted six of them without checking them out. "There's a need to educate people, especially consumers of online [therapy] services, that they have a much higher level of responsibility to assure for themselves that the services they're getting are up to par," says counselor Storm King, who has written widely about online therapy. "A consumer that goes online to buy a lawnmower is in a much different risk category than someone who goes online to fight depression."

One of the main characteristics of online therapy is that it takes place entirely through written text. Many people feel more comfortable expressing themselves through writing. In fact, the act of writing may be itself therapeutic. According to psychologist Donald Fava, who treats people online through Counseling Net, writing helps people compose their thoughts and feelings and allows them to vent. Some patients even ask him not to reply to their e-mails. "They just want to get it off their chest," he says. "It externalizes things people have internalized for a long time."

The fact that cybertherapy relies on writing is often touted as one of its strengths, but it can also be a weakness. "Text-based relationships are initially full of one's own projections," says Craig Childress, president of the International Society of Mental Health Online. "The mind is a vacuum more or less, so you fill in all the missing pieces. Unconsciously, you make very quick assumptions about who this person you're typing to is and then you act on the basis and most of the time it's a fantasy."

What's more, therapists are not usually trained to analyze written text. "I would challenge any person offering e-mail psychology to show where they got experience in e-mail psychology," says Marlene Maheu, a psychologist who edits an online magazine called Self-Help and Psychology. "A neurologist would never test your reflexes through e-mail," she notes. "Problems need to be discussed in the context of a person's life. These are serious, life-altering decisions."

Still, online therapy may be drawing in people who are attracted to its anonymity and would otherwise not get help, like Jenny. It provides a doorway through which they can feel comfortable entering into traditional therapy. In a survey conducted by the ABC's of Internet Therapy to find out about users' online experience, almost 60 percent of the respondents said they went on to face-to-face therapy after seeking online guidance.

Both proponents and critics of cybertherapy agree that it will never replace face-to-face therapy. But many therapists think it will find its niche as a different kind of therapy, what online psychologist Richard Sansbury calls "an alternative mental health resource." It's fast, it's convenient, it's easy, it's 24-7. For some people, that's enough -- or at least a good starting place.

Other Sites Worth a Visit

Mental Health Net, an online guide to mental health services.