Social Media and Counseling

There are many pros and cons when it comes to thinking about the use of social media in counseling. In regards to advertising and making your presence known as a mental health professional it could be advantageous in bringing in clients and collaborating with fellow mental health professionals. It is also helpful in being able to access resources for yourself as a professional and for your clients as well. It helps in building an online community and networking with other professionals and potential employers.

Linked In, twitter, blog posts/etc could be a great resources for clients to access when at home. If they are experiencing anxiety or depression, etc they can access these sites and perhaps use a deep breathing exercise or an article that can help them cope in the moment (of course in a crisis you would have already established a course of action to be taken).

Having a twitter or face book, etc to promote your practice could be a great way to reach out to people suffering with mental illness. Someone who is apprehensive about seeking out services may feel comfortable at least looking into services through the anonymity of the internet.

The cons I see with using social media while in the counseling field are various. It is possible that clients with boundary issues can seek out your personal information or perhaps tag you in inappropriate posts. It is imperative to maintain a separation between you counseling self and your personal life.

On Twitter for instance you could have issues if your account is on auto-follow and your professional account could post about subjects that are inappropriate.

Facebook also poses a threat in regards to having a business page. Depending on the setup of the page if someone follows you they may be able to post on your page. This also opens you up to inappropriate posts. There is also the issue of clients seeking out your personal page.

You also have to take confidentiality into account. You have to take ultimate care never to reveal information about your clients. Doing so can lead to serious legal issues. It is also imperative to be careful about what you advertise as the subjects you are a expert in.

Sources:
http://www.mastersincounseling.org/three-ways-social-media-can-benefit-you.html
http://www.mastersincounseling.org/four-major-drawbacks-to-social-media-use.html
http://www.mastersincounseling.org/what-therapists-need-to-know-about-facebook.html
http://www.mastersincounseling.org/what-therapists-need-to-know-about-twitter.html