Are We Prepared? Recommendations for Couple and Family Therapists Engaging with Young Generations on Social Media

Social media is a salient aspect of most people’s lives in the United States. Younger generations (e.g., Gen Z) are among some of the most likely to engage with social media and have mental health concerns. Mental health providers are beginning to use social media to engage with prospective clients....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Contemporary family therapy 2022-06, Vol.44 (2), p.115-124
Main Authors: Hynes, Kevin C., Kingzette, Alexia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Behavioral Science and Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Cost analysis
Families & family life
Family
Family therapists
Generation Z
Generations
Health problems
Literature reviews
Mass media effects
Mental health
Original Paper
Professionalism
Psychology
Psychotherapy
Social media
Social networks
Social skills
Social Work
Sociology
Therapists
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Summary:Social media is a salient aspect of most people’s lives in the United States. Younger generations (e.g., Gen Z) are among some of the most likely to engage with social media and have mental health concerns. Mental health providers are beginning to use social media to engage with prospective clients. However, there is a lack of guidance on how to maximize the utility of social media engagement for couple and family therapists (CFTs). This paper reviews the current literature on therapists’ professional presence on social media and younger generations’ expectations around social media competency. Recommendations for how CFTs can effectively engage with younger generations through social media are provided. A discussion of professionalism, accessibility, demonstrating aligned values, branding CFT, and gaining a reputation of cost effectiveness are emphasized. Future directions for studying the phenomenon of therapists using social media to engage with an online audience are included.
ISSN:0892-2764
1573-3335
DOI:10.1007/s10591-021-09583-9