CHALLENGES OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA AND NETWORKING FOR COUNSELLING IN THE PREVENTION OF YOUTH RESTIVENESS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Issues discussed in this paper include youth restiveness, provision of guidance and counselling services via social media as a new era for therapeutic communication, salient counselling ethical and professional code of practice in relation to use of social media for counselling. The paper also views youth restiveness as a dysfunctional, emotional behaviour mainly due to individual temperamental disposition to events or situations which can be prevented or managed through counselling intervention using social media and networking. However, there are inherent challenges in using social media and networking for counselling. The major challenge is that social media has ability to blur the boundaries between private and public information hereby eroding clients’ trust, acceptance, and confidentiality of the counselling process; posing serious legal and ethical problem for counsellors if not professionally handled. The paper therefore recommends eclectic counselling intervention strategy as an appropriate technique to be utilised for this purpose