Social media therapy is a form of expressive therapy. It uses the act of creating and sharing user-generated content as a way of connecting with and understanding people. Social media therapy combines different expressive therapy aspects of talk therapy, art therapy, writing therapy, and drama therapy and applies them to the web domain. Within social media therapy, synchronous or asynchronous dialogue occurs through exchanges of audio, text or visual information. The digital content is published online to serve as a form of therapy.
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Background
Time spent online via email, websites, instant messaging and social media has increased, since 1999 more than 2,554 million people have become an internet user. This alters the way people communicate with each other, it alters the connotation of certain words. The concepts of "identity", "friend", "like" and "connected" have adapted alongside technology. People are influenced by data sharing, social marketing, and technological tools. The devices that keep us connected have changed societies expectations and social norms. Therapists recognize the ways in which this affects clients' personal interactions. They also understand the ethical implications of their own professional use of social media. Ethical codes have been adjusted to include the new media.
Because the internet is an influence on psychotherapy, there are multiple therapeutic services offered through the internet. Mental Health professionals can extend their services via email and video conferencing. E-therapy, online counseling, cyber therapy, Social media Therapy essentially it is all similar in the aspect that it utilizes the internet in order to provide therapy for patients.
David Sommers is said to be the pioneer of e-therapy, as he was the first to offer a fee-based internet service where he tried to establish long-term, ongoing helpful relationships with clients, communicating only through the internet. Sommers helped over 300 people from 1995 to 1998, using primarily e-mail, while also incorporating real time chat and videoconferencing into his practice.
Controversy
There are pros and cons when it comes to the subject of online therapy. Criticism of providing therapy through online methods comes from concerns over the lack of physical contact. There are important features of therapy created through face-to-face therapy such as transference and countertransference that can not be created through online therapy. Patricia R. Recupero and Samara E. Rainey stated in their article "Informed Consent to E-Therapy" of American Journal of Psychotherapy that the lack of face-to-face interaction increased the risk of misdiagnosis and misunderstanding between the E-therapist and patient, thereby increasing the risk of uncertainty for the clinician. There are also concerns over the internet creating a distraction from the therapy itself. Confidentiality and privacy concerns have been raised as well. Counter criticisms state that the physical distance does not matter. Online therapy still creates the standard tenets of face to face therapy. When it comes to privacy concerns one could point out that even in traditional therapy privacy is still a concern.Eva Buechel and Jonah Berger, scholars working in this field at the University of Miami, "Argue that certain online activities can be beneficial for consumer well-being. Building on research on the social sharing of emotion, we argue that the popular microblogging feature can have therapeutic value, aiding emotion regulation by allowing users to share self-relevant information and anticipate social support.
Ethical codes
Because mental health professionals are moving into the world of social media, new ethical frameworks for social media therapy have been issued. Practitioners have a clear and strict guideline of ethical codes correlating to social media. Applicable principles that are relevant to social media include: confidentiality, the practitioner's understanding that their primary obligation is to protect client confidentiality including confidential information stored in any medium; multiple relationships, practitioners must refrain from entering into multiple relationships that could impair objectivity, competency, or effectiveness in performing clinical functions; testimonials, informed consent, minimizing intrusions on privacy, and initiating professional relationships. Documenting and maintaining records are also other principles that can be applied to all forms of therapy, online or face to face. More directed towards the interactions occurring between practitioner and client via social media include; personal vs professional behavior on the web for practitioners, friend and follow requests, search engines, interacting using email, SMS, @replies and other on-site messaging systems, consumer review sites, location-based services and online treatment.