A key strategy that is used by practitioners delivering psychological therapies, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is reflective practice. It’s important to check, or audit your practises, and to make sure that they are effective and efficient in achieving their intended outcome.
I thought it would be helpful to list a few questions which may be helpful when checking whether an update is sensible, appropriate and ‘on-message’. It’s been interesting to consider what my goals and strategies have been when using social media platforms such as twitter (@jameshardiecbt).
- Why do I want to share this piece of information?
- What is the function of this update?
- Does this boost my credibility, reflect expertise and demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of my subject area? (ie anxiety, depression, stress, anger, sleep, self help, etc.)
- Will this help me to connect and engage with others to grow a positive community of followers?
- Is this update appropriate for my intended audience?
- Am I connecting with individuals and demonstrating that I am a real human and not some cliche or stereotyped therapist?
- Am I making best use of this platform?
- Am I doing too much self-promotion?
- Am I disclosing too much about myself?
- Is there a good reason to comment on the minutiae of my daily experience?
At the end of the day it is important to be mindful of what we share (about ourselves) on social media sites. It’s also good to consider how followers or readers may interact with or think about this content. If you are a psychologist or therapist using social media, why not get in touch? Especially if you think I’m going about this all wrong!