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By Kent Larsen
LDSCounseling.com: Therapy Over the Web
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Two enterprising LDS counselors have hung up a
shingle on the Internet, offering advice and counsel to LDS Church members
underserved by Mormon counselors or unwilling to discuss their problems with
their Bishops. Jay Steineckert and Julie Hanks established LDSCounseling.com
last year and are now attracting 100 clients a day to their service.
The pair offer a free 15 minute phone consultation to potential clients, and
then charge $50 for a 45-minute phone session or $25 for a 30 minute session
by e-mail. Their clients' situations vary widely, including everything from
16-year-olds with dating difficulties to marital difficulties to middle-age
crisis.
The therapists believe that offering their service over the Internet and
phone gives clients a better sense of confidentiality. "When [people] need
help, they want to know they are not going to get bad advice from someone or
that their core values will be threatened," says Steineckert. Hanks adds
that having a counselor with an LDS advantage, since the counselor
understands so many unspoken assumptions, "People can assume we are
pro-marriage and pro-family. We know what a patriarchal blessing is. We
understand the ramifications of a temple divorce," says Hanks.
Steineckert has worked as a therapist for more than 20 years in both public
and private practice. He has a psychology degree from BYU and a masters in
social work from the University of Utah. Hanks has the same degrees, both
from the University of Utah, but she is a certified social worker with 11
years' experience.
Hanks is more familiar to many LDS Church members under her maiden name,
Julie de Azevedo, as a musician who writes and performs for the LDS market.
But while both Steineckert and Hanks are both musicians, they keep their
music separate from their counseling, and their music is a taboo subject in
counseling.
BYU psychology professor Bruce Carpenter says that delivering counselling
over the phone and by email has its drawback. Facial expressions, body
language and other cues are important information for counselors, and
without them counselors end up closer to advice columnists. "Therapy is
murch more than a glorified Dear Abby," says Carpenter. "Not everything she
says is bad, but her advice is based on superficial information."
Steineckert agrees that the information they get over the phone and through
email is limited, and says that they refer patients with deep-seated
psychological problems to other therapists for traditional office visits as
a result. And, Steineckert claims that they put a lot of thought into their
responses. "For an effective, inexpensive and confidential way to get
short-term therapy, you can't beat it."
Source:
Mormons Who Don't Want to Face Bishop Can Find Counseling Online
Salt Lake Tribune 17Mar01 I2
By Mark Eddington: Salt Lake Tribune
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