Technology In Counseling
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TheUseofSocialMediainCounselorEducation2013.pdf
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Article 12
The Use of Social Media in Counselor Education
Douglas R. Tillman, Julie A. Dinsmore, Christine L. Chasek, and David D. Hof
Tillman, Douglas R., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling
& School Psychology at the University of Nebraska Kearney. His teaching
interests include clinical coursework, appraisal, and theories of counseling. His
research interests include spirituality, wellness, and social media’s role in
counselor education.
Dinsmore, Julie A., is a Professor in the Department of Counseling & School
Psychology at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Her instructional and
research interests include Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice and Advocacy
Issues in Counseling, and School Counseling.
Chasek, Christine L., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling
& School Psychology at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Her teaching and
research interests include drug and alcohol counseling and counselor
development. She has 15 years of clinical practice specializing in substance
abuse treatment.
Hof, David D., is a Professor in the Department of Counseling & School
Psychology at the University of Nebraska Kearney. For over 16 years, his clinical
practice has focused on high-risk youth.
Abstract
Examined in this article are ways the use of social media can enhance a
counselor education program’s activities in the areas of recruitment,
curriculum, pedagogy, extracurricular student contact, and alumni
connections. Also discussed are privacy, confidentiality, informed
consent, boundary, copyright, liability, and free speech issues related to
the administrative and instructional use of social media in a counselor
education program. A social media policy is proposed to help counselor
educators use this potent tool ethically and effectively.
The digital age marches on with or without counselor education programs being
prepared. Of late, digital activity is being spearheaded by the growth of social media. The
days of needing a desktop computer to engage in social media is a relic of the past. Now,
the space is filled with smart phones, tablets, and iPads and the mobility of these
platforms adds to the always on and always connected landscape of the 21 st century. The
explosion of social media, like Facebook and Twitter, is challenging counselor education
Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS 2013
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programs to consider how to best assure its effective, safe, and ethical use by both
students and faculty.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) has begun to embrace social media
as a way to communicate with its membership in real time by creating a Twitter account
where news, conference updates, trainings, and a variety of blogs are linked to followers.
In addition, since 2007, ACA has operated an Online Library, a Podcast Series, and an
Online Learning Web site to support the professional development of counselors. Yet, at
present, the profession has developed few specific policy or practice guidelines related to
the ethical use of social media by counselors and counselor educators. Neither the current
version of the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2005) nor
the 2009 revision of the standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and
Related Educational Programs (CACREP) address the use of social media such as
Facebook and Twitter. Since 1999, task force reports or position papers related to
technology competency of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA; 2012),
the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES; 1999, 2007), and the
American Psychological Association (APA; 2002) have addressed knowing the purpose
of various forms of technology such as blogs, chat rooms, technology enhanced
classrooms, distance learning platforms, online continuing education, ethical use of
email, and Internet counseling service delivery. However, the professional and/or
personal use of social media like Facebook and Twitter are not discussed. Recognizing
the need to establish policies related to social media use in counseling, ACA has formed a
Cyberspace Technology Task Force and has initiated discussion on the use of social
media during the ongoing revision of the 2005 ACA Code of Ethics.
The laws governing social media are changing and evolving as rapidly as the
changes in technology that create the social media outlets. Currently there is a lack of law
regarding social media, freedom of speech, copyright issues, liability issues, and federal
regulation such as HIPAA and FERPA, especially when used in the higher education
setting (Melroy, 2011). The courts and policymakers continue to debate social media
laws with no strong legal precedents yet established regarding the use of social media in
education programs. Until professional policies are established and legal issues clarified,
this leaves counselor educators using their “best judgment” to consider how to integrate
social media in the administrative and instructional activities of programs and to create
policies to regulate themselves.
Use of Social Media in Counselor Education
Administration and Governance
In terms of the administration of counselor education programs, faculty are
starting to consider how social media may impact the recruitment, admissions, and
student progress monitoring aspects of program governance.
Recruitment. In a discussion paper for the National Association for College
Admission Counseling, Barnes (2009), found that 61% of universities are currently
utilizing social media in some form to recruit students. Further, 88% of universities see it
as part of their future recruitment strategies. Historically in counselor education,
recruitment has been done by making presentations to undergraduate classes in fields
close to counseling, producing print media for distribution, conducting one-to-one
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meetings between interested students and faculty, and relying on the department Web
page to communicate the salient facts about the department’s programs. For some
potential students, this face-to-face personal connection is valued, but Barnes has
articulated that for 16-24 year olds, the “…world of interactivity and hyper-
communication has fundamentally changed how teenagers and young adults receive and
process information” (p. 2).
At a time when student recruitment is increasingly important and programs are
seeking to diversify their student demographic, if one counselor education program is
using social media, others may need to as well. YouTube has begun to be utilized in the
recruitment of students by counselor education departments. For example, short video
clips can be found that show a program’s promotion of their on-line coursework as
flexible and financially responsible for the student, an alcohol and drug counseling
specialization endorsed by celebrity testimonials, and faculty members discussing their
school counselor program with student comments about their experiences. The idea of
concentrating a counseling program’s message into a 30-second YouTube clip becomes
very attractive when one further considers the advantages. Not only does doing so allow
for broad dissemination of the program’s identity and message, it is free to programs and
provides statistics on marketing effectiveness by tracking the number of views the clip
has received.
When giving advice to undergraduates considering graduate school, Agre (2001)
stated that students should seek advice, over a year or more, from professors
knowledgeable about the graduate program they are considering. Counselor education
departments who create a Facebook page devoted to recruitment could facilitate this type
of ongoing contact by “friending” upcoming undergraduates. In addition, the use of
Twitter allows for mass, instantaneous notification to “followers” of a particular
individual or program. Current students of a counseling program who use Twitter could
“tweet” a particularly powerful learning from a class, conference, or experiential activity
and could then field questions posed by their “followers” around the experience. This
type of exchange could deepen the conversation and generate excitement among potential
students about the department and its programs.
Admissions and monitoring of student progress. The role of social media in the
admission process of counselor education programs is a contentious one. It has become
common practice in business to check an applicant’s social media postings as part of
completing a background check. Yet is it appropriate to review these posts when
considering admission into university degree programs? Barnes (2009) found that 47% of
university admission officers engage in the practice, particularly around admission to
programs with limited space or the awarding of prestigious scholarships, and suggests the
practice continues largely because very little case law exists setting up boundaries on
such action. Postings made by individuals on social media sites have a lesser expectation
of privacy than other forms of communication, so the practice of examining social media
for admission decisions is legal at present. But is such behavior ethical? Cohen (2007)
suggests the practice is not ethical; that it is analogous to reading a person’s diary and
that there is no guarantee that some of the information available is accurate or reliable. In
addition, despite the information being public knowledge, in terms of due process, it can
be problematic to consider any applicant’s social media postings unless one plans to do
so for all applicants. Faculty should also consider whether their university has a campus
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or system-wide policy in place that would preclude consideration of social media
information in making admissions decisions.
On the other hand, the ACA Code of Ethics (ACA, 2005) emphasizes that both
counselors-in-training, as well as counselor educators, have a responsibility to monitor
whether there are physical, mental, or emotional problems that might prevent counselors-
in-training from achieving competence and performing adequately and ethically (ACA,
2005). In addition, CACREP requires training programs to track the personal
development and professional comportment of trainees to assure they meet the expected
level of professionalism and ethicality (CACREP, 2009). Should these gatekeeping
responsibilities extend to review of student social media postings? If a faculty member
becomes aware of a posting on social media that is or could be an indicator a student is
experiencing problems and engaging in unprofessional behavior, is there a responsibility
to address it with the student and perhaps remediate based on knowledge received from
this source? In some cases, students have been expelled and suspended from school
because of what they have posted on Facebook (Flynn, 2012; O’Dell, 2011). Section
A.2.a of the ACA Code of Ethics (2005) implies that informed consent must be made
regarding decisions of counselor education programs to search social media when making
decisions to admit into their programs of study, or for ongoing evaluations of student
progress. Lehavot (2009) suggests:
It is incumbent on faculty and students alike to actively consider the potential
ethical problems associated with disclosures via the Internet... [and that] increased
attention [be given] to this matter both within and among graduate programs in
psychology for the purpose of decreasing the potential for harm to applicants,
students, student-advisor relationships, and clients. (p. 139)
Should programs decide the practice meets their ethical expectations and fits within their
application or student progress monitoring process, it has been suggested that programs
establish policies and advertise to potential students what information will be used in the
decision making process (ACA, 2005; Lehavot, 2009).
Instruction
Curriculum. Faculty in counselor education programs are also being challenged
to determine how curriculum may need to be revised to help students understand how
social media is intersecting with counseling practice. For example, in training school
counselors, it is important to create awareness of how social media can create mental
health issues for students, such as through online behavior like cyber-bullying. As
Paterson (2011) points out, “…online attacks are both different from and more insidious
than traditional bullying” (p. 44). These attacks can be anonymous and viral, amplifying
the scope and impact of bullying behavior. ASCA (2012) suggests that school counselors
become involved in helping develop school social media policies, detecting bullying and
at-risk behavior on social media, responding to online incidents, and dealing with how
students represent themselves online. In 2012, Facebook initiated an effort to target
school counselors by publishing “Facebook for School Counselors” in partnership with
the Internet Keep Safe Coalition and the American School Counselor Association.
Marsalil Hancock, president of iKeepSafe, stated, "It's important to provide school
counselors—often the first line of defense in managing digital incidents with students—
the necessary tools and skills to be competent and confident” (Lytle, 2012, para. 3).
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The use of social media is also raising new opportunities and challenges in
clinical mental health practice that should be addressed during training. The Pew Internet
and Family Life Study (Fox & Jones, 2009) found that 61% of Americans use the Internet
to find health care information, and 21% of Americans look online specifically for mental
health information. Should practicing counselors use social media to advertise their
services and connect with potential clients? Should they create a social media site where
they can share helpful information and have others “friend” and “follow” them?
Shallcross (2011) suggests “Facebook can be a great avenue for counselors to advertise
their services…” (p. 26) and that social media has the potential to reduce the stigma of
counseling and make it more socially acceptable. If clients want to use social media to
connect with a counselor, how can privacy be assured and ethical boundaries maintained?
As Royal (2012) points out, many counselors
... use social media on a personal and/or professional level… Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, blogs. As a result, we may be contacted or followed by clients or
colleagues through these social media outlets. Counselors may find themselves
having thoughts that could be categorized as falling in a bit of a "gray" area. If I
am "friends" with someone on Facebook, is this a dual relationship? Why
wouldn't I want to connect with a "digital native" using social media… this is how
they interact with the world… I'm meeting them where they are…” (para. 1)
Once a client/counselor relationship has been established, what should counselors do to
provide informed consent and help clients understand the limits to confidentiality
inherent in exchanging information digitally? These are clinical practice issues that can
and should be addressed in training programs.
Counselor educators can also consider how to use social media to help students
engage outside the traditional classroom space in order to develop a professional identity
and stay abreast of current news and trends in the profession. Yaremich (2012) has
suggested that counselor educators are uniquely positioned to encourage the use of social
media to more closely connect students to leaders within the field of counseling, breaking
news pertinent to student learning with links to blogs, news articles, and many other
forms of supplemental literature. For example, in addition to following ACA on Twitter,
students can also connect with The Center for Excellence in School Counseling and
Leadership (CESCaL) whose mission is to promote excellence in the field of school
counseling, or they can connect through social media to most state counselor
associations. It has been suggested that students can be encouraged to “follow social
media posts… of today’s top counselors and psychologists… to put them in closer
contact with industry leaders” (Yaremich, 2012, para. 3).
Pedagogy. In addition to impacting curriculum, social media has the potential to
impact pedagogy. It can offer new options for how faculty structure student-to-student
and student-to-faculty interaction. Twitter can be used in the classroom to create an in-
class Backchannel discussion that allows real-time commenting by students, to create
collection of responses to open or guided questions that can be analyzed, to allow
students to express difficulties with course content, or to solicit course feedback (Sample,
2010a). It can provide a way to engage less vocal students or to increase the participation
of all students in larger classes. Faculty can use Twitter to have students extend class
discussions or use each other as resources regarding class assignments. Students can be
asked to follow experts in the field on Twitter or to connect with students from other
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countries, thereby exposing students to a broader multiple perspectives discussion about
material presented in class (Sample, 2010a). Student Twitter responses can be tracked,
archived and analyzed. Sample (2010b) suggests faculty “dump your class’s Twitter
output into Wordle and see what ideas stand out” (para. 15). Wordle is a program that
generates “word clouds” and gives greater prominence visually to words that appear more
often. Charts can also be developed from archived tweets that indicate the level of
activity of each student. Challenges associated with the use of social media
instructionally include setting norms for frequency, posting content and etiquette, as well
as how, or whether, to assess student social media contributions.
As Yaremich (2012) points out, virtual world platforms like Second Life, “allow
educators to create virtual classrooms or walk through other universities’ virtual worlds”
(para. 2). She cites the example of Montclair State University’s “Theorist Project” that
“allows anyone, including educators, to enter a virtual psychologist’s office where
students can ‘meet’ Sigmund Freud, for example, and learn about his theory from either
Freud’s—or a patient’s—perspective” (para. 2). Other counselor educators are
experimenting with creating clinical counseling simulations (Rockinson-Szapkiw &
Walker, 2009), counseling facilities (Walker, 2009), and even conducting class in the
Second Life virtual environment. Under the leadership of Marty Jencius, a counselor
educator at Kent State University, a communication and information Web site called
“Counselor Education in Second Life” (CESL) has been developed for counselor
educators who are using Second Life for pedagogical use in classes and training. The
CESL center supports an annual virtual conference, a Scholars in Residence program, and
training support for faculty and graduate students in counseling in the use of Second Life.
When counselor educators use social media for instructional or marketing
purposes, copyright issues must be considered. Counselor educators are typically familiar
with the fair use exception in the copyright law that allows use of copyrighted materials
in the classroom; however, translating this exception to the new digital online society and
social media has been more challenging. Rodriguez (2011) maintains that the fair use
exception can still be applied in the digital world and advises that a statement regarding
the adherence to copyright laws be made in the program’s social media policy.
Extracurricular Activities/Contact
Student blogs. Some students have chosen social media as a way to start to have
a voice relative to current professional counseling issues. For example, a student in a
CACREP-accredited master’s degree program in clinical mental health counseling started
a blog which is now linked to ACA and has commented on various issues such as the
conscience clause, spirituality in counseling, and counselor self-care. Blogs have become
a way for young counselors to join the professional dialog that bypasses the peer-
reviewed publication process and establishes a closer, more personal, interactive
connection around current issues. Yet, when do students become autonomous from the
program in which they are enrolled? If a student is participating in an internship as part of
the training program, should the student have free rein to publish on a blog about
experiences related to the internship?
Student groups. Social media holds promise for student groups such as Chi
Sigma Iota. One challenge of such voluntary groups is building engagement and energy
for the mission. The national level of Chi Sigma Iota currently has a presence in the
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social media world with the formation of a Facebook page. On this page, proposals for
presentations at the national ACA conference are sought, information on future trainings
and webinars are provided, and job opening are posted to serve Chi Sigma Iota at the
national level. Perhaps more closely connecting and supporting student groups via social
media not only enhances the experience for the field’s emerging leaders but also instills a
sense of ownership in the profession through leadership.
Preparing students to access future professional development. Enhancing the
professional development of students is the goal of every counselor educator. While
completing counseling training, most students will have taken some courses through on-
line learning platforms like Blackboard. Ideally, students in counselor education
programs will be made aware of the role of technology in their future professional
development and how to access it. For example, CounselorAudioSource.net, a podcasting
site, provides 20-40 minute interviews of professionals in the field of counseling, which
can be streamed to play on a desktop computer and stored for use in the future or
captured for play on any MP3 device. The counselor education program at the University
of Nebraska at Kearney has created an online Professional Development Academy for
Counselors specifically to provide continuing education for its alumni, site supervisors,
and other practicing counselors. In addition, the CESL center is sponsoring its 4 th
annual
counseling conference in the Second Life virtual world platform. The conference offers
sessions on counseling topics similar to those you would find in a traditional conference
format, but presenters and attendees interact as avatars in a virtually created conference
venue, eliminating the costs associated with traveling to land-based professional
development conferences.
In addition to using Backchannel in the classroom, it provides some exciting
professional development opportunities at conferences. Backchannel offers individuals a
space to “tweet” about an event or experience using a hashtag. These tweets are then
combined creating a running conversation. Bruff (2011) discussed the advantages of
Backchannel to enhance a conference experience, such as connecting individuals with
similar interests who might not have otherwise connected and giving participants of the
conference a space to share ideas regarding sessions. If conference planners are
successful in implementing a Backchannel conversation, the potential it offers to enrich
the experience is immense.
Alumni contact. CACREP (2009) is calling upon counselor education programs
to improve their alumni tracking systems, a task for which Facebook holds a great deal of
promise. No matter how many times former alum changes his or her email address,
Facebook stays a constant source of direct contact. Once an individual is accepted into a
departmental Facebook account as a “friend,” the matter of contacting them for these
purposes becomes far easier and more stable. Further, it allows for an enhanced sense of
connectedness, which may pay dividends for recruitment of future students, supervisors,
and advertising for departmental professional development opportunities.
Faculty/student “friending.” When discussing the boundaries between teachers
and students in “friending” one another, Long (2011) states that some educators hold two
separate Facebook pages, one for personal use, and the other for professional use. As
Hara (2011) points out, if faculty “blog or use Twitter or Facebook under our given
names, the words we write are attributed to us, and they can be easily misunderstood. If
we blog or tweet under a pseudonym, the work isn’t directly linked to us as individuals,
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but it can be linked to our friends and followers” (para. 1). She urges faculty to avoid
writing anything that might detract from a positive and professional online presence. In
other professional areas, teachers have been fired over both comments and pictures
posted on Facebook (Edelman, 2012; Melancon, 2011; Whitney, 2012). The ACA Code
of Ethics (2005) states that counselor educators must maintain appropriate boundaries
with students, that “nonprofessional relationships with students should be time-limited
and initiated with student consent,” (p. 16) and that before entering that type of
relationship they discuss with students the potential benefits, drawbacks, and possible
consequences for the student. Some teachers choose to delete friend requests from
students and follow up with a discussion of the inappropriateness of the relationship
(Long, 2011). Having a clear policy regarding this aspect of social media gives direction
to faculty and can avoid students becoming offended when they are not “friended” or
“followed” by the faculty member.
In addition to boundary issues, confidentiality can be a concern. Students who are
a “follower” or “friend” of departmental social media could potentially post information
about clients with whom they are working in practicum or internship settings. To prevent
this occurring and to make students aware of consequences of violating confidentiality in
this manner, a departmental social media policy must clearly outline parameters for
acceptable expression and monitor social media traffic so that inappropriate postings can
be removed and individuals held accountable.
Suggested Policy for Use of Social Media
Given the issues raised in this article, it is evident that educational programs who
use social media must develop policies related to the conduct of students and faculty that
specify the legal and ethical consequences of using social media (Anderson, 2012; Kind,
Genrich, Sodhi, & Chretien, 2010; Melroy, 2011; Skiba, 2011). A policy for the use of
social media in a counselor education program should include a definition of the term
“social media” and provide informed consent by stating how student social media will be
accessed and used related to student progress decisions. In addition, the policy should
state who will have access to department social media outlets, who is allowed to post
information, whether the department will prescreen any content and if so what types of
content require prescreening, and that the department has the right to remove any content.
It is also important the policy provides norms for expected social media etiquette and
designates a social media representative who will monitor the access and posting of
information. The policy should address privacy, confidentiality and proprietary/copyright
issues, and reference any existing university social media policies.
The suggested policy included below incorporates these suggestions and provides
an example that may be useful for other counselor education programs as they start to
address the issues associated with the use of social media. The framework of the social
media policy presented here was adapted from the Division of Student Affairs with the
University of Nebraska at Kearney (n.d.) and reflects how university-wide policies can be
expanded and individualized for the purposes of counselor education. These guidelines
are shared in the hope that they will initiate a dialogue among counselor educators that
will help identify all relevant issues and contribute to refining effective and ethical
responses to these emerging issues.
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Department of Counseling and School Psychology
Social Media Guidelines
Social Media Definition
Social media includes user generated Web-content and mobile technologies used
to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Social media is an important method of
interaction and collaboration between students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and more.
Examples include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Linkedln, and
blogs.
The social media guidelines described here will apply to all personnel
(professional staff, support staff, and students) connected to the Counseling and School
Psychology Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and are
consistent with the guidelines for the Use of Technology Resources at UNK and
Executive Memorandum No. 16, the policy for Responsible Use of University Computers
and Information Systems.
The department Social Media Representative and the graduate assistant under his
or her direction are the only persons with authority to post to social media on behalf of
the department. The term of appointment for the Social Media Representative is three
years, renewable upon agreement of the Department Chair.
Informed Consent
Social media of students will not be reviewed by faculty of the department for
purposes of admission into programs of study or to monitor student progress.
Departmental faculty may connect with students on social media strictly for
educational/instructional purposes and will not connect with students on social
media for non-professional purposes (“friending,” “following,” etc.).
Access
The Social Media Representative and/or graduate assistant will evaluate
individuals requesting a connection to any departmental social media. Individuals
who are current faculty or students of the department, alumni, and current
undergraduates of the university will be allowed the connection. All others will be
evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
If content violates UNK policies or guidelines, the Social Media Representative
will be contacted and the person who posted the content will be asked to remove
it. If the posting violation is egregious, the person who posted the content may be
banned from future participation.
Postings must follow federal requirements such as FERPA, HIPAA, NCAA
regulations, as well as university privacy and confidentiality policies.
Copyright and fair use statutes must be followed. Any questions related to
copyrighted material should be directed to staff at the Calvin T Ryan Library
(308) 865-8598.
University computers and time on the job are reserved for university related
business as approved by office supervisors.
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Content Guidelines The Counseling and School Psychology Social Media Representative reserves the
right to remove any content he or she deems inaccurate, inappropriate, offensive,
or cyberbullying.
It is not allowed to post confidential or proprietary information about the
University of Nebraska at Kearney, faculty, students, employees, or alumni, or
any information about activities in field placements, such as internship.
All policies, procedures, and guidelines regarding university trademarks, names,
and symbols apply to social media networking sites. Direct questions regarding
appropriate use of logos to staff in Advertising and Creative Services (308) 865-
8134.
If you identify yourself as an employee or student of UNK in a social media
communication, you should not post your personal views/opinions.
Whenever appropriate, link back to the UNK Web site.
Social Media Etiquette
Use good judgment. Think twice before posting. Privacy does not exist in the
world of social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely
known and how that may reflect both on the person who posted and the
university.
Remember your audience. Be aware that a presence in the social media world is,
or easily can be, available to the public at large (e.g., prospective students, current
students, colleagues, peers, parents). Consider this before publishing to ensure the
post will not alienate, harm, or provoke any of these groups.
Strive for accuracy. Get the facts straight before posting them on social media.
Review content for grammatical and spelling errors.
Conclusion
On today’s technological landscape, social media is here to stay. Individuals,
businesses, and programs are using social media to speak economically to the masses in
an instantaneous way, bypassing many of the traditional safeguards. It holds great
potential to connect with and among people on a scale nearly unimaginable. Counselor
educators are finding a tool as powerful as social media comes with the responsibility to
use it ethically and legally and to teach emerging professionals of its potential advantages
and disadvantages. Social media should not be feared by counselor educators or seen as a
genie that, once outside the bottle, refuses to return; yet it seems clear that it is important
that policies and procedures are established to help both professionals and students
navigate the emerging issues specific to social media successfully.
A policy on social media and a designated social media representative to monitor
its implementation are necessary for counselor education programs to utilize the
advantages of social media, yet control for its ethical use. If programs are strategic,
thoughtful, and organized around its use, the ethical concerns can be greatly minimized.
For the profession of counseling to continue its advance, social media must be included
in that vision and embraced.
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Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS 2013
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Note: This paper is part of the annual VISTAS project sponsored by the American Counseling Association.
Find more information on the project at: http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/VISTAS_Home.htm
