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[Mar. 9] The possibility of cheating in a relationship has always been a real threat to any relationship. With the addition of social media to the mix, things like flirting, meeting up with a potential lover, or exchanging love notes have been sped up! The speed at which one can now find a new lover and start an affair is faster than ever before. In online couple’s therapy, or relationships counseling, a couple can discuss and explore their thoughts related to the potentiality of their partner’s cheating behaviors. They would also discuss their own high-risk behaviors.
One article on PRNewswire.com discusses:
“We used to meet in bars, and restaurants, we now meet on Facebook and Twitter,” said David Jones, global CEO of Havas Worldwide and Euro RSCG Worldwide. ”Social media hasn’t replaced but has enhanced real world relationships making them faster, more transparent and more authentic.”
With a lot more temptation available, couples are facing old challenges with new twists!
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Online counseling and social media make a great team. Through the use of both of these tools, you can reach a greater audience and really cater your treatment to your specific client. How can you do this?
There are several ways you can combine social media and online or distance counseling.
You can meet in the online chat room and have a therapeutic session that specifically meets the client’s needs at the moment. Once the session is over, is therapy over? No. Social media can be used to augment a client’s treatment needs. Through articles that you find or write, you can educate you client on their pressing mental health concerns. You can also offer them tools and guidance they can turn to between sessions.
For instance, if you have a fan page, you can post articles that relate to mental heath issues, offer insights on coping skills, and relay advice on how they can manage their stresses on a day-too-day basis. Social media such as Digg and StumbleUpon affords clients the freedom to browse through articles at their leisure. If you are on these sites, you can share your profile with them. A fan page can also enable clients to find you outside of a session if they need additional information. By reading your page and finding relevant resources, they can work on their concerns actively, both in session with you and between sessions through literature and exercises you provide.
Groups on social media can also help clients stay connected to their treatment. Discussions of relevant topics, news in their areas of concerns, and articles shared here can also be great resources. Take care however, not to blur the lines of confidentiality. This should be a concern. For these purposes, it might be best to keep the group closed and restrict posts by others. Provide ways others can reach you so that you are available should the need arise. In doing so, set clear boundaries so that others know what is for discussion in the group and what is for discussion in sessions.
The main idea here is to provide a well-rounded service to your client. The therapeutic session is the beginning of the relationship you form with your client. Extending your hand and services outside of that session helps create rapport and trust – essential for getting clients to where they want to be!
Belky Perez Schwartz is a psychotherapist, speaker, educator, and writer practicing in Coral Gables, Florida – find more resources in her virtual office or blog. Don’t miss out on relationship tips, advice and discussions – subscribe above, sign up for her e-Newsletter, or connect with her on Twitter & Facebook today!
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A Facebook business profile, as mentioned in earlier articles can help you market your business for free! These profiles can really help you reach your target audience through social media – something that many people are now using to both be social and be more informed as consumers.
So what is good to keep in mind when creating your business profile?
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A previous article began to explore how the online world has opened many doors for marketing your mental health practice online. One of the many tools available to clinicians, and a free one at that, is Facebook. Facebook offers many different options for clinicians to showcase their practice, market to a wide audience, and all for free!
The Facebook Business Profile Page
A business profile page on Facebook allows you to enter all the details about your business. When creating a business profile, enter as much information as you can into the profile. You will be prompted to enter web links, contact information, images, etc. Use the links to promote your website or blog if you have one. Both of these can direct potential client and colleague traffic to your site. These can create helpful backlinks to both your blog and site – creating more views of your page that may eventually lead to practice growth!
Not sure how to start? Unclear on the difference between a personal profile and a business page? Facebook offers a great deal of help through their help center.
What do you think will better serve you? A personal profile or a business profile?
Check back for tips to keep in mind when creating your business profile.
Belky Perez Schwartz is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Coral Gables, Florida – learn more about her in her virtual office, connect on Facebook or Twitter, or visit her clinician profile on Breakthrough.com.
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The online world has opened many doors for clinicians to market their practice.
Social media, originally seen as a tool for staying connected to family and friends, is now seen as a more powerful tool! With the phenomenal growth of networking, we have seen the number of individuals using social media grow astronomically. Networks are no longer used only to stay connected to loved ones – clinicians can also reach potential clients in their neighborhood, state, on the other side of the country and across the world!
What are some ways you can use online tools to market your practice?
You have completed your intake session. By now, your therapist has a clearer picture of what your goals are for therapy and how you hope to benefit from treatment.
So what happens next? This will differ depending on the type of treatment you have selected. Each individual therapist will differ in their approach to the session.
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You took the time to set up an initial session with a therapist. So what happens next?
The first visit to a therapist is often one that is shrouded in mystery. Clients report feeling uncertainty as to what will take place during this initial session. Each therapist will have a different method for an initial intake session. However, the general format will usually have a few common steps.
What are those steps?
Social networking and texting have really changed how we communicate with each other.
In the past, we might go days, weeks, even months without any word from a friend. As a result, we would have no idea what was happening with them. Now, with social networking and texting, we know what some of our friends are doing on a daily, and sometimes even, minute-to-minute basis!
How do you feel about this? Does this make you feel more in touch with them? Do you feel overwhelmed?
Read the rest of this entry »
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The happy marriage of the internet and technology has really opened many doors for receiving therapy in new and exciting ways.
One of those ways includes email exchange as a means of exploring pressing concerns you would like evaluated and shared with a therapist.
How would this work for you? How would writing an email be therapeutic and help you feel more satisfied in your personal relationships?
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After taking part in the 2nd Annual Virtual Conference on Counseling, I have an even greater appreciation for technology and how it can help in work with families.
The workshops that made up the conference were all available either through 2nd life or as a live stream on the internet. One I attended that really caught my attention was Mediated Relationship Changes, by Katherine Herman and Courtney Holmes. Their presentation dealt with different aspects of family counseling and how it can be approached in new and dynamic ways via technology.
What really intrigued me was the notion of having a family member be part of a session despite the distance between the individual members. Families that have complicated schedules, frequent traveling or are involved in the military are but a few examples of families that can take advantage of the flexibility of online counseling. A family session could realistically be carried out through the use of a chat program and a web-cam. Family members that are unable to physically be at the session due to medical illness or impairment would be present through these technological tools.
One case study Herman and Holmes included proposed ideas for reaching a family communicating almost entirely through text-based mediums – texting on their cell phones or using social networking for keeping up to date with each other. It was interesting to see how therapy is an ever evolving field, using clients’ needs as a guide in tailoring treatment approaches to meet those needs.
What happens in an online family therapy session?
