Facebook, Myspace, Blogs For Counseling

Whether counselors are working with pre-teens, adolescents, or adults – knowing how to use social networking sites like MySpace,blogspot,friendster,twitter,tagged,flixster and Facebook will provide professionals with a tool to better connect with clients. The following are some ideas on ways to use MySpace,blogspot,friendster,twitter,tagged,flixster and Facebook in counseling.

Counselors Should Become Fluent

Especially for counselors working with the adolescent population, it is extremely important to be fluent in sites like MySpace,blogspot,friendster,twitter,tagged,flixster and Facebook. Almost all teenagers are socially connected via these sites, and if counselors are unfamiliar with the culture, the systems, and the nuances of these sites – it will be difficult for the adolescent to easily connect with the counselor.

Counselor should consider making their own MySpace and Facebook profiles. Most people learn best by doing, and learning to negotiate these sites will provide professionals with the language and familiarity necessary for holding a genuine conversation with adolescents who live and breathe these sites daily.

Should Counselors Add Clients as Friends?

This is a good ethical question, and counselors should be reminded that it is unethical to maintain a dual relationship with any client. An online relationship in addition to the counseling relationship can most definitely be seen as a dual relationship. It’s one thing to encourage clients to share their information, but it’s another thing to have access to what they display on their profile at any time. To play it safe, respect the boundary and explain to clients the ethical rules of dual relationships.

Use MySpace/Facebook in the Session

With a little creativity, the effective counselor should be able to come up with many ways to use these sites in the session. To explore a client’s profile during a session, it is imperative that the client trust the counselor and not feel coerced into sharing this information. Always make it a safe environment where it’s okay for the client to decline.