How Should Therapists Handle “Friending” Requests?

Course excerpt from Ethics and Social Media

The Phenomenon of “Friending”

Friending Request from ClientA “friend” used to be an individual of one’s personal acquaintance, with whom a sense of liking, trust, and camaraderie had been built over some period of mutual experience and interaction. Many people considered themselves fortunate if – over the period of a lifetime – they were able to count a handful of others among those they considered to be friends.

With the advent of Facebook, that concept has morphed into something that may or may not bear any resemblance to the original definition. In many cases, people who are friends on Facebook were personal real-life friends before joining up on Facebook. In other cases, new friends are made online, without the benefit (or bother) of any face-to-face interaction. In still other cases, individuals spend a great deal of time and effort collecting “friends” online for the sake of amassing a very large audience for their postings.

In some cases, these numbers are quite extraordinary. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center (2014), the average number of friends a person has on Facebook was 338. A generational ranking revealed – not surprisingly – that number of Facebook friends was inversely correlated with one’s age. Millennials (age 18-29) averaged 300 friends (a quarter of these young users had more than 500 friends in their network), Gen Xers (age 30 – 49) 200, and Younger Boomers (age 50 -64) 75. People over the age of 65 average 30 friends.

To Friend or Not to Friend

One of the more complex challenges facing contemporary therapists (at least those who use Facebook) is the question of how to respond when receiving a friending request from a client. It is the arrival of this simple electronic message that precipitates a cascade of questions concerning a broad spectrum of ethical issues from privacy and confidentiality to multiple relationships and clinical competency. Zur (2012) states it this way:

“Currently, more than 900 million people around the world and more than 157 million in the United States [these numbers are already outdated] have Facebook pages, and at least some of them may be your clients. Clearly, the issue of when, or whether, to use Facebook touches on just about every clinical and ethical issue of importance to therapists, particularly issues relating to boundaries and dual relationships. Should you even have a Facebook page, and if so, how much of your private life should you show? Who should see what? Should you use Facebook’s privacy settings to distinguish what you show among colleagues, best friends, family members, and old, new, and potential clients? How do you respond to clients who want to ‘friend’ you?”

These questions are answered in different ways by different therapists. Kolmes (2009) offers this view:

“Inviting clients to your personal profile can also be perceived as inviting them into your personal life. Unless you utilize very strict privacy settings on your profile, those who become your ‘friends’ can post and view messages posted to your Wall, they can view your photo albums and read the comments on these albums, and they can see and interact with your other ‘friends.’ This can send mixed messages to clients, especially if they are unclear about therapeutic boundaries to begin with. If you would never think of inviting a client to a cocktail party at your home with your friends and family present, then you may want to think twice about inviting them to be your friend on Facebook (or approving their friend requests). It is the online equivalent of inviting them into your social circle.”

Laura Hahn, a counselor in private practice, suggests that therapists refrain from friending clients on Facebook. “Make it a policy by adding a statement to your informed consent documentation and inform your clients up front. Counselors who find clients being overly interested in the counselor’s personal life and conducting intrusive online searches can explore that topic with the client in therapy” (in Shallcross, 2011).

Questions for Psychotherapists to Consider Before Responding to Clients’ Friend Requests

It is useful – probably even necessary – for a therapist to spend some time pondering the friending issue before plunging into the world of digital friendship. On the Zur Institute website (http://www.zurinstitute.com/socialnetworking.html) there is a list of questions for therapists to consider as they face this decision.

Learn more: https://www.pdresources.org/course/index/6/1147/Ethics-and-Social-Media

Ethics and Social MediaEthics and Social Media is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that examines the use of Social Networking Services (SNS) on both our personal and professional lives. Is it useful or appropriate (or ethical or therapeutic) for a therapist and a client to share the kinds of information that are routinely posted on SNS like Facebook, Twitter, and others? How are psychotherapists to handle “Friending” requests from clients? What are the threats to confidentiality and therapeutic boundaries that are posed by the use of social media sites, texts, or tweets in therapist-client communication? The purpose of this course is to offer psychotherapists the opportunity to examine their practices in regard to the use of social networking services in their professional relationships and communications. Included are ethics topics such as privacy and confidentiality, boundaries and multiple relationships, competence, the phenomenon of friending, informed consent, and record keeping. A final section offers recommendations and resources for the ethical use of social networking and the development of a practice social media policy. Course #20-75 | 2016 | 32 pages | 15 posttest questions

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Learn How to Use Humor as a Tool

April is National Humor Month

National Humor MonthNational Humor Month was founded in 1976 by comedian and best-selling author Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one’s life.

“Since April is often bleak and grim and taxes are due on the 15th, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year,” says Wilde, author of 53 books on the subject of humor. “Besides,” adds Wilde, “it’s the only month that begins with All Fool’s Day — a day which has sanctioned frivolity and pranks ever since the 1500’s.”

Humor as a tool to lift ailing spirits is an established notion supported by scientific research. The curative power of laughter and its ability to relieve debilitating stress and burnout may indeed be one of the great medical discoveries of our times.

The Use of Humor in TherapyThe Use of Humor in Therapy is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course by Dr. Louis R. Franzini that reviews the risks and benefits of using humor in therapy and the relevant historical controversies of this proposal.

Should therapists and counselors use humor as a therapeutic technique? If so, should they be formally trained in those procedures before their implementation? The paucity of rigorous empirical research on the effectiveness of this form of clinical intervention is exceeded only by the absence of any training for those practitioners interested in applying humor techniques. In this course a representative sample of its many advocates’ recommendations to incorporate humor in the practice of psychological therapies is reviewed.

Therapeutic humor is defined, the role of therapists’ personal qualities is discussed, and possible reasons for the profession’s past resistance to promoting humor in therapy are described. Research perspectives for the evaluation of humor training are presented with illustrative examples of important empirical questions still needing to be answered. Course #21-02 | 2015 | 24 pages | 14 posttest questions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document). Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion.

Click here to learn more.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

The Heart and Soul of Change

The Heart and Soul of Change, 2nd Ed, is a new 8-hour book-based CEU course for psychotherapists.

The Heart and Soul of ChangeHow does psychotherapy work? As research on psychotherapy has accumulated, it has become increasingly clear that common factors like the therapeutic alliance constitute the primary mechanisms for change. This text reviews the empirical research literature, distills the common factors associated with change, and presents them in a clear and straightforward manner for practicing clinicians. Topics include client and therapist factors, the therapeutic alliance, the common factors approach, common factors within psychiatric drug treatment, outcome monitoring (practice-based evidence), and common factors for specific populations (youth psychotherapy, couple and family psychotherapy, and substance abuse/dependence treatment). This CE test is based on the book “The Heart and Soul of Change (2nd Edition): Delivering What Works in Therapy” (2009, 455 pages). The book can be purchased from Amazon.

CE Credit: 8 Hours
Target Audience: Psychologists | Counselors | Social Workers | Marriage & Family Therapists (MFTs)
Learning Level: Advanced
Course Type: Test Only $50

Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC #5590); the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC #000279); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); and the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (#RCST100501).

Renewal Information for Oregon Counselors & MFTs

Oregon-licensed professional counselors and marriage & family therapists (MFTs) must complete forty (40) clock hours of continuing education every 2 years. Six of those 40 hours must be in ethics training.

The reporting period is from the license renewal in one even-numbered year to the next license renewal in the subsequent even-numbered year. For example, if your birth month is June, your CEU reporting period would be from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2012. You would report when you renew your license in June, 2012.

The 40 clock hours may be obtained in a variety of ways:

  • Attending college or university courses — 15 clock hours per semester credit or 10 clock hours per quarter credit.
  • Seminars, workshops, conferences and/or trainings.
  • Supervision (maximum of 10 hours)
  • Distance learning trainings must be offered or approved by a provider acceptable to the Board, e.g., NBCC. Distance learning programs must include mechanisms for evaluation, measurement, or confirmation of exchange of information.
  • Home study from approved providers must be offered or approved by a provider acceptable to the Board, e.g., NBCC.

 

Oregon Counselors and MFTs can earn all 40 hours through online courses

Click to view approved online courses

Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC Provider #5590) and by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for Counselors and MFTs. Oregon licensees may obtain all 40 clock hours through online home study courses offered @ http://www.pdresources.org/Index.aspx.

In order to complete the continuing education requirements, education/training experiences must be in one or more of the following program areas:

  • Counseling or marital and family therapy theory and techniques
  • Human development and family studies
  • Social and cultural foundations
  • The helping relationship
  • Group dynamics
  • Lifestyle and career development
  • DSM diagnosis assessment
  • Research and evaluation
  • Professional orientation and ethics
  • Professional supervision training
  • Disability and life transitions
  • Substance abuse
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders

Courses in personal growth, computers, administration, management, marketing, or other business classes will NOT count.

Each reporting year, the Board randomly selects 10% of licensees for an audit to check compliance of its continuing education requirements.

The Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists: http://www.oblpct.state.or.us/