The Online Therapy Institute Legacy
The Online Therapy Institute (OTI) was founded in 2008 by Kate Anthony and DeeAnna Merz Nagel at a time when online therapy, coaching, supervision, and digital communication were still emerging areas of professional practice. Long before telehealth became mainstream, OTI served as an international hub for education, scholarship, ethical inquiry, professional development, and collaborative exploration at the intersection of technology and the helping professions.
OTI was never simply a training company. It functioned as a think tank, learning community, publishing platform, and professional resource for therapists, coaches, supervisors, educators, researchers, and organizations seeking to better understand the opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly evolving technologies. Topics ranged from online counseling, coaching, and supervision to cyberpsychology, digital culture, social media, virtual worlds, avatars, online identity, ethics, and emerging technologies.
What makes OTI’s story unique is not simply what was published or presented, but the breadth of organizations, universities, professional associations, government agencies, healthcare systems, and helping professionals who sought out its expertise. Through consultation, curriculum development, keynote presentations, training programs, publications, and collaborative projects, OTI contributed to conversations that helped shape the evolution of technology-enabled practice across multiple disciplines.
Today, the website serves as a Living Legacy Archive preserving articles, interviews, publications, ethical frameworks, training materials, timelines, conference presentations, research resources, and historical documents spanning more than two decades of work in online therapy and related fields. Researchers, students, educators, practitioners, and historians are invited to explore these resources and trace the development of ideas that continue to influence contemporary practice.
To learn more about the organizations, institutions, and initiatives that engaged OTI’s services, visit the Consultancy Portfolio. To explore media coverage, interviews, and professional recognition, visit In the News.
Researchers may also wish to explore the publications archive, doctoral research materials, TILT Magazine archives, and other historical resources preserved throughout the site.
Collaborators & Contributors
The Online Therapy Institute benefited from the contributions of numerous authors, educators, researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders whose expertise helped advance conversations surrounding technology and the helping professions.
In primary partnership was Stephen Goss, husband to Kate, psychotherapist, educator, author, editor, researcher, and long-time contributor to OTI publications, training initiatives, and scholarly projects. His work helped advance discussions surrounding technology, psychotherapy, supervision, ethics, and professional practice and contributed significantly to the Institute’s educational and publishing efforts. Dr. Goss also served as the Associate Editor of Research to TILT Magazine.
The legacy of OTI reflects the collective contributions of many colleagues and collaborators who shared a commitment to exploring the evolving relationship between technology and human connection.
About the Co-Founders
Kate Anthony, DPsych, MSc, FBACP
Kate Anthony was an internationally recognized pioneer in online counselling, cyberculture, coaching, and technology-enabled therapeutic practice. Through her writing, teaching, research, leadership, and advocacy, she helped establish many of the foundations upon which contemporary online practice is built.
Learn more about Kate Anthony → About Kate
DeeAnna Merz Nagel, D.Th., LMHC, BCC
DeeAnna Merz Nagel is a psychotherapist, coach, educator, author, supervisor, and researcher whose international work spans online therapy, coaching, cyberpsychology, ethics, professional development, and spiritually integrated approaches to helping and healing.
Learn more about DeeAnna Merz Nagel → About DeeAnna
The Online Therapy Institute was founded on a simple but enduring belief: technology may change the medium through which helping relationships occur, but it does not diminish the importance of ethics, presence, connection, supervision, reflection, or professional integrity.
Through education, scholarship, consultation, innovation, and community building, OTI helped shape the evolution of technology-enabled helping professions and contributed to conversations that continue to influence practice around the world.
