E-mail Rules! Organizations and Individuals Creating Ethical Excellence in Telemental-Health.

The intention of those in the helping professions is to support and heal those who seek out their professional assistance. Ethics are based on the ongoing collective development of professional experience, the natural outflow of desire to care effectively for the needs of fellow human beings. Ethics help define what is and what is not an effective means of providing professional care. This document examines several ethical issues pertaining to telemental-health. It first considers this topic from the perspective of professional organizations. It then explores numerous specific ethical issues pertaining to the use of e-mail by individual professional helpers and offers suggestions for awareness and action. (Contains 11 references.) (Author)