Really enjoyed the podcast conversation between @drpeterblundell and @SarahFelton9 on #TherapistsConnect #TherapistsConnectPodcast.

Some thoughts around therapy and blogging as a MH professional...(strap in - this thread could get LONG!)

I think there's often an instinct in the MH professions to share nothing of ourselves, for privacy, and to ensure it doesn't become 'about us'. This is of course everyone's right, and I'm not here to say there's anything wrong with that...

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But I think there's often a sense that therapists who share or write about their own stuff are looked down upon for doing so. That because this could impact a therapeutic relationship - we shouldn't do it...

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It certainly can affect the relationship - but there's a few things to consider here. One, some of us were already blogging and writing and publicly sharing, long before we got to therapy as work. It is often impossible to remove yourself from that...

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I'm a suicide survivor and have spoken about this on large media platforms and in public. I know that clients could find this, but I can't do anything about that. The internet will keep your name...

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It's also part of my authentic self - those experiences have a big impact on how I am as a person and my life up to this point. If we want authentic therapists, can we really ask them to silence this completely - is that honest?

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Two, more and more people are publicly open about their MH than ever before - and online resources are growing. The therapy world has to realise that many future therapists are likely to have shared their experiences somewhere online already...

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There's also a misconception that because we share some very personal stuff - that there's no thought goes into it. Deciding what to share comes with a great deal of care. Not always getting it right, but it's not thoughtless...

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Yet there's still a general mistrust of MH pros who share things...maybe we should be trusted to make judgements as with anything else - and maybe it's something to talk about in personal therapy or supervision too?

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Finally, many seem to think as a matter of course, that because people share stuff online that they'll bring it into the therapy room with clients. Where is the evidence for this? Is this another case of a profession not able to adapt to new media?

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Of course writers must be careful, selective and thoughtful - and almost always are. There are professional boundaries and ethics at play, but writing on personal experiences isn't the black and white area many therapists appear to think it is. END

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