The advantages include:

• you may feel freer to be yourself online
• you may feel more comfortable receiving therapy in the privacy of your home
• you may feel more comfortable writing about your problems than talking about them
• you may write about what is bothering you sooner than if you were talking - this can bring faster resolutions to problems
• writing may help you to think through your problems and to feel your emotions - it can bring focus, clarity, insight, and emotional relief
• you can read and re-read your emails, and chat transcripts
• writing enhances your relationship with yourself
• there are more therapists to choose from online
• you can email your therapist any time of day
• you can take as long as you want to write

The disadvantages include:

• online therapists don't have access to important information about you without face-to-face sessions, however, having phone sessions as well can provide your therapist with more information
• there can be more misunderstandings by email and therefore a greater need to explain things and ask questions. This can be an advantage too as it encourages our being clear and asking questions - something some people are afraid to do in-person
• some problems cannot be resolved online
• confidentiality cannot be guaranteed over the internet
• online therapy is relatively new - although writing as a form of support is not new - and so it's still in its infancy as a form of therapy