Recently, we participated in a twitter chat with our resident blogger, Dr. Barbara LoFrisco. What’s a twitter chat you might ask? Essentially, a twitter chat is an open conversation, with questions and answers (designated as Q1, A1, Q2, A2, etc.) to provide a real time interaction between multiple people.
The benefits of a twitter chat include:
- Reaching a wider audience – in our case, our twitter chat could be read by prospective students, undergraduates, career-changers, or anyone considering acquiring a master’s degree in counseling.
- To each grow our social networks – that’s point of social media in the first place, isn’t it? We used the hashtag #counselorchat to reach out across the network.
- Inspire others to join the conversation.
We asked Dr. LoFrsico questions about requirements to becoming a counselor, degree programs, how to gain experience, and how one can prevent burnout on the job. Here are a few of our questions and her responses:
@mcounseling A1: There is an educational component (master's degree), an exam, and at least a year of supervised experience. #counselorchat
— Dr. Barb LoFrisco ? (@CounselorBarb) November 4, 2014
@mcounseling Depending on the program, yes. Here at USF we have certificates for addictions, MFT and Integrative. #counselorchat
— Dr. Barb LoFrisco ? (@CounselorBarb) November 4, 2014
@mcounseling A2: CACREP accreditation; faculty as practitioners, experienced faculty and faculty available to assist. #counselorchat
— Dr. Barb LoFrisco ? (@CounselorBarb) November 4, 2014
@mcounseling A3: A great idea is to volunteer…it is also one of the things we look for when we are interviewing applicants. #counselorchat
— Dr. Barb LoFrisco ? (@CounselorBarb) November 4, 2014
@mcounseling A4: good self-care, setting emotional boundaries. Check out my recent post http://t.co/meNrEtYEj1 #counselorchat
— Dr. Barb LoFrisco ? (@CounselorBarb) November 4, 2014
Our tweets with Dr. LoFrisco offered a glimpse into the life of a counselor and how to get into the field. Make sure to check our blog often as she regularly discusses topics such as burnout, counseling myths, and more in depth discussions detailing her own experiences.
Now It’s Your Turn!
Curious about creating your own twitter chat or joining another one already out there? Here are some great ways to start growing your network with twitter chats:
- Listen. Find hashtags that interest you (such as #counselorchat or #scchat) and see what people are tweeting about.
- Participate. Retweet other people’s ideas that you agree with. Tag other users and constantly use the hashtag you’re involved with. Yes, you’re limited to 140 characters, but it allows the conversation to keep moving. Remember what inspired you the most during a chat, and do more in depth research afterwards.
- Network. See the same people week after week in a chat? Follow each other and interact outside of twitter chats. However, just remember to keep the personal stuff personal, and don’t hijack twitter chats to make it about you.
- Have fun! The point of all of this is to learn from and communicate with others. Feel free to ask questions, get involved, keep it light, and watch your network grow.
