Basically.... don't fight 'em - join 'em!

         Ever been so stuck in your ways that you're just unwilling to even consider another method, until you're forced to try something new...and viola you find yourself  in love with this new method? Well that what social media and counseling could be for you. Twitting your client? Having a live session on Second Life? Using Instagram to maintain a relationship with your client? What has the world come to? I'll tell you, its come to the modern age where you're more than likely to have a client who has at least one social media account, if not multiple. So to keep up with modernization,  the most logical next step is to use social media to your advantage. We'll discuss how you could use technology with your clients.

         So let's start with a discussion about the advantages of using technology with your clients. First and foremost, social media expands your clientele by....well A LOT! Dependent upon the extent that you use social media sites, your clientele can go from city wide to state wide, or even nationwide. This post on Counselor-License, helps put into perspective some benefits of incorporating social media in counseling.. Suppose you use Second Life, a 3D virtual reality world where people can interact and socialize with others as though they were in a real world setting. Through Second Life you can have clients in almost any state, which may be especially useful if you have a client who has moved but would still like to continue to see you. 

        Social media can also be used as addition practice for your client. If you give your client homework they might only be given one or two opportunities to apply what they've learned in their daily settings. However with social media you have use those resources and expand your client's ability to gain more practice on their learned skills. Some other advantage for your clients is the anonymity that online counseling provides. Additionally social media provides extra methods for your client to improve on their learned skills. For example you have a client who gets anxious when interviewing, you can use the media to have your client practice interviewing, reserach interviewing tips blogs, and/or join "groups" giving interviewing advise. These are just some of the ways that you can involve social media in your counseling sessions. 

          There are also professional social media sites that you can use with your clients to help in sessions. One of the most widely used sites for professionals is LinkedIn. This also helps with professional development to other professionals. There are many considerations one should take when using LinkedIn with a client, there should be set boundaries between you and your client. These just some of the considerations that should be taken when incorporating social media into counseling sessions. 

Basically....here are some things to know before you email your client.

There are many factors that come into play when clients begin to take nontraditional methods of counseling, such as calling, texting, and EMAILING! As I've discussed earlier, rules of confidentiality come into play and becomes even more important to uphold when adding technology to counseling sessions. However there are other considerations that should be taken before counselors begin branching out to the world of technology.

1. Communication professionalism: This means  not using slang, short hand messaging, emotes, or other "cool" forms of instant messaging. Although you will be using technology and more than likely with a adolescent that uses slang terms, this is not an opportunity to begin to emulate the way that your client is speaking to you, especially if you're doing so to appear "cool". When applying to graduate school, I attended a seminar where we were told DO NOT write the way you speak. Likewise I suggest the same thing to professionals using technology with their clients. Although you should remain authentic in your transmission, you should try to avoid miscommunication to the best of your ability. 

• Not okay: "Yo shawty! I hear ya and I know it be hard out in the strezz for ya yung thug"
• Okay: "Hey (client name), I understand what you're saying and I imagine these circumstances must be difficult for you." 

1. Privacy for you and your client: Since you will be using a third party, the internet, to transmit your information it is important to know everything you can about your this party provider. For example, Facebook states in their Terms of Service that "you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it."  This means that if you begin massaging your client through Facebook, that information is owned by Facebook. Other sites that provide email addresses may have similar privacy laws terms of service. Being aware of what happens to your email transcriptions is important in helping to make your client feel comfortable and to ensure confidentiality is maintained. 
2. Technical hiccups and backups: Although technology is God's gift to man - its still made by humans and therefore can have many faults. It is important to be aware of where your client is during your sessions. Is your client using a public facility where your emails can be hacked by an outsider? Is your client's connection reliable? Will you be storing your emails with your client and if so by what means? Will you be using internet sites like Dropbox or a personal server? What happens in the case that your client is unable to get to access their email, what is your second option? Any of these issues may arise while counseling online thus is would behove you to have secondary options in place before you begin online email counseling. Likewise it would be wise to have multiple backups in place to make sure your can assess your client's information when you need it. 

These are just some of the more pressing concerns that you can address with your client when you begin internet counseling with them. The article, I love these emails, or do I?, discusses additional considerations therapists should keep in mind when conducting email counseling sessions. 

Basically.....podcasts can be your friend!

               Podcasts are digital audio files on the internet that can be downloaded to personal devices. This method can be helpful because in the realm of counseling, podcast can help counselors to discover how to use specific theories or techniques. One can think of podcast as audio YouTube videos. Also being that its over the Internet, podcast allow for cross cultural integration and awareness. For the purposes of this blog, I listed a 10 podcast that are related to at-risk youth circumstances and counseling. Along with the podcasts are some topics that can be help inform counselors how to address these youth, others give indicators that a youth might be "at-risk", while some provide information about what steps can be taken while in counseling sessions. Overall all the podcasts can b seen as helpful for counselors, parents, and/or any one who has repeated contact with at-risk youth.

               By selecting the Information tap above you'll be directed to the link. Today I'll discuss another podcast that is not on the list. This podcast by Ruben Austria gives advice for ways people can mentor at-risk youth. Although this can not be used in counseling, it will behove counselors to be knowledgeable about such methods as they may be able to consult for other organizations and advocate for mentorship. Rev. Austria is the Executive Director of Community Connections for Youth based out of Bronx, NY. According to CC-FY website, this is a "New-York based nonprofit organization, whose mission is to mobilize indigenous faith and neighborhood organizations to develop effective community-based alternative-to-incarceration programs for youth."  You can gather more information about Rev. Austria and his organization here: CC-FY. In his podcast, Rev Austria discusses his experience in urban environments, testimonies from other mentors and mentees, and positive results from monitorships. More importantly, Rev. Austria speaks to the mentors themselves. This is a great podcast because it enlightens mentors to reluctance of their at-risk youth, it encourages  mentors to be persistent and to come into their mentorship with unconditional positive regard! In addition Rev. Austria is speaking to biblical scholars such as pastors, youth leaders, and other spiritual leaders. With all that being said, here is the link that will take you directly to the podcast: Mentoring At-Risk Youth. Hope you enjoy!

Basically.... which is better for counseling texting, calling, or Skyping?

This week's assignment was to utilize the telephone, text messaging, and Skype services to get a sense of the feelings associated with using such technology. Today, I'll reflect over my impression after I used each method, including  the pros and cons of using each method, and in what situations would each device be more useful.

Let us begin with text messaging. Acting with a partner, I was played the role of both a counselor  and a client. As my partner and I began texting, it became quickly apparent that we were going to have to  be mindful of not texting back to back because that lead to confusion. There were times where my counselor might make three different statements and as I replying to the first, the second came, and shortly afterwards the third one. It also was hard, as the counselor, to gauge the level of emotion that my "client" was expressing to me. I felt restricted and limited in the services I could provide because there was no way of knowing what my client needed emotionally. As the client, I felt as though I was texting a friend. I didn't feel that there was a professional relationship. After we completed the role plays we discussed our thoughts about this method of counseling. Although there were some noted advantages to texting, we both agreed that texting would not be the ideal use of technology. One aversion to texting is that the client has direct, constant access to the therapist. Can the client text any time of the day or only during business hours? Are texts chargeable, and if so how? What matters can be discussed via text? These were some of the questions that were discussed by my partner and I. On the other hand, if someone was in immediate danger and was unable to go seek help, the use of texting might be useful. Example being a child who is witnessing domestic violence among parents and is unable to call someone but has a cell phone with texting would be able to contact his/her counselor and seek help that way. These are just some of the observations that were made during our role play.

Nest we conversed over the phone. Although this was a better technique, there were still some limitations that arose. Since we could now hear each other  my partner and I were able to gauge each other's level of discomfort when we role played. It was also easier to build rapport with the client. As a counselor it was easier to express empathy, validation, and other verbal words of affirmation through influx or changes in voice tone. Conversation was also easier to flow over the telephone as opposed to texting. My partner and I noticed that the relationship was more professional when we were speaking on the phone. Although we enjoyed the phone session, we were still weary of using this method. We decided that counseling clients with depression, anxiety, or similar mental health issues might fair better over the phone than clients with sever psychiatric mental health issues. Telephone calling would be good to ease the worry clients might experience in between counseling session. Similar to texting, phone counseling would be used with the intent to have the client come into the office to receive in person interviews.

Lastly we'll discuss Skype. Of all the methods to use, Skype was the most in-person like method therefore was favored between my partner and I. Using this technology allowed for the therapist to see and hear from the client thus allowing the counselor to notice the non-verbal quest that the client may display. Also Skype allows for free calls to others with Skype accounts, although may companies come with unlimited services, the option to use Skype becomes more appealing. Even in its greatness, one limitation of Skype is that it only provides the counselor with a section of the client's body therefore preventing the counselor from being able to see other non-verbals from the client. Skype, like in person sessions, prevents the counselor from "zoning out" while the client is talking or texting.

Overall there are some good and bad to all three technological methods that were utilized. Each method of communication may be beneficial in counseling if used in the proper context. One important concept that was hard to address during all scenarios was confidentiality. How can confidentiality be discussed, achieved, and maintained through texting, phone calling, or Skyping? By clicking on this link, you'll be directed to HIPPA regulations and considerations on counseling and confidentiality, while using technology.