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Counselor Friend Request

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  • 18-01-2017 11:59am
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    Hi, I recently finished a 6 week series of counselling which went well. A few hours after my last session I received a FB friend request from the counselor. I found it quite odd tbh but I was wondering is this normal do people stay connected to their counselors? I got on well with her but in a purely professional setting.


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    #2
    Mr. Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 9,798 ✭✭✭Mr. Incognito


    I would find that odd.

    Keep it professional and dont accept.

    Councelling is unregulated in Ireland and as such the level of professionalism and competance varies widely.


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    #3
    Idle Passerby
    Registered Users Posts: 1,121 ✭✭✭Idle Passerby


    He/she must be really bad with social media and thinks this a good way to boost their business. I doubt your former counsellor actually wants to be buddies.


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    #4
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    Thats unprofessional. I would ignore it.


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    #5
    Toots
    Administrators, Business & Finance Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,905 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Toots


    Completely unprofessional and I'd ignore it. If it was a LinkedIn request that'd be OK but Facebook is just weird.


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    #6
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,655 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Absolutely unprofessional and it totally violates boundaries. It's completely inappropriate.


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    #7
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Is it a business account or their own page OP? They are not the same. However if they are looking for publicity all you need to do is like their page. I'd be inclined to ignore especially if it's her personal account...that's a massive overstep on her part.


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    #8
    clairewithani
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,270 ✭✭✭clairewithani


    Faith wrote: »
    Absolutely unprofessional and it totally violates boundaries. It's completely inappropriate.

    Agree. Any counsellor I ever heard of respects boundaries completely.


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    #9
    ongarboy
    Registered Users Posts: 5,201 ✭✭✭ongarboy


    This is the problem with the unregulated nature of counselling/therapy in Ireland. Anyone can do any mickey mouse uncertified course in counselling and call themselves a counsellor. The risk is that vulnerable people rely on such questionably qualified so called professionals. I'm not a counsellor or therapist and even I know that overstepping that boundary between client and counsellor by requesting Facebook friendship is an absolute no no as it is an unsolicited invasion of your personal life and could make a vulnerable client feel awkward, confused or under pressure to either accept or decline and could affect the dynamic of any potential future counselling between the two parties. Any such person worth their salt in that profession would surely know this already.

    OP, I would decline the request.


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    #10
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Thank for all the replies!

    It's her personal fb page definitely as she has members of her family on it and nothing work related. She works as a sole practitioner as part of group practice. Anyway I decided to delete the request.


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