You have a friend request… Now what?
Jessica Diaz
ACA has entered the Blogosphere… Twitter has dominated the headlines… and Facebook is the right of passage in a growing Internet generation. A few days ago during an open ethics discussion in one of the courses I teach, a school counseling student asked the question, “What are your thoughts on accepting students as friends on facebook?” This simple question evolved into a lengthy discussion that included everything from professional responsibility to how this generation of students has no idea of the impact their “cyber lives” have on their “real ones.”
The conversation got me wondering… “What would you do?”
Future Counselor Educators… Would you friend your Masters and Doctoral students?
Future School Counselors… Would you friend your students?
Future Counselors of all specializations… If a client, patient, or colleague requested you as a friend, would you?
WHY OR WHY NOT?
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS PHENOMENON?
Jessica Diaz is a doctoral student at the University of Maryland and an Affiliate Professor at Loyola College.
Jessica,
Great questions and ones that I will use in an upcoming communication class I will be facilitating.
The easy question, for me, is the one as a counselor. I would not add a client as a friend on any of the social networks. I tend to keep my profile limited to those I add as friends such as those I knew in high school and current friends. This is a social connection that crosses the line of professional-client boundaries that are in place. These boundaries are in place for the safety of the client.
I would have no problem adding another professional to my social network of friends if I consider them such. For truly professional relationships, I would use LinkIn as only my work contact information is listed and it is more geared toward my professional life. Client’s could say something nice about me on this site if desired. My clients and their families do not usually do this.
As a current faculty member and future counselor educator, the question of adding students as friends is difficult. As stated my social networks are for social and not professional relationships. However, I would like to keep connection with former professors, especially those that had great impact on my life, and would hope that my future students are impacted by me and thus want to share their excitement. At some time the professor and the student will be at the same professional level. I do not think that typical social networks are the place for this but some other way is needed.
Bryan Funk
Let me begin by saying that I LOVE online social networks. I believe that the internet has provided a bridge to information, people and cultures that would be nearly impossible for each of us to access via “offline” means in one lifetime. Many of the people we encounter (be it personally or professionally) have some type of online presence. It is time that we all recognize that we are just as likely to encounter clients/students (people who we might not otherwise invite into our *private* circle) online as we would at the local grocery store.
When I worked as a clinical graduate assistant at the university counseling center, I would tell clients that if they encountered me on campus, I would never acknowledge them first. My goal was to save them the need to explain to others around them, how we knew each other. I did let them know, however, that if they acknowledged me first, I would most certainly reciprocate.
I think that like offline living, as we become more immersed in online lifestyle that we have to create compartments for our social networks in a similar way. I have both a professional and personal social identity to allow me the freedom to freely express myself to both professional colleagues and personal friends in the appropriate forums. Its a shift in thinking about how to manage your online life.
Would I “friend” a client? On a personal level? Probably not, but I would certainly consider allowing client to join my professional network of friends with the thinking that if they were to visit my office or run into me at a conference, I would interact with them much the same as I would using those online networking profiles.
My clients, colleagues and friends know that I have a life outside of work… off and online. The key is having appropriate boundaries and balance in both places. (smile)
Shawn
Generation Xer/ Online Lifestyle Advocate (grins)