{"id":2261,"date":"2012-07-12T13:16:24","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T17:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ccpa.scottbuckingham.ca\/blog\/?p=2261"},"modified":"2012-07-12T13:16:24","modified_gmt":"2012-07-12T17:16:24","slug":"textish-counselling-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ccpa-accp.ca\/fr\/textish-counselling-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Textish Counselling – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association Canadians send 227 million text messages per day.\u00a0 That\u2019s 82,855,000,000\/year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That is a whole lot of texting power that we mental health professionals might be able to tap into [no pun intended].<\/p>\n

As you might expect the vast majority of these text messages are being sent by teens and young adults. The frequency of text messaging has increased year over year. In 2010 the Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet and American Life Project reported that, amongst teens, the frequency of use of texting had overtaken the frequency of every other common form of interaction with their friends, including face-to-face interactions. [1]<\/a><\/p>\n

And the ways in which texting is used have evolved as well.\u00a0 \u00a0As a literature review of teenagers and texting points out, \u201cmultiple studies in various countries have been conducted on the content of young adults’ text messages, with similar results across studies. Many text messages have to do with coordination of events and maintaining relationships\u201d.\u00a0 This is an area where texting might be useful for mental health initiatives.
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Using text messaging seems to have been working well for health care. \u00a0\u201cThe medical field has quickly adopted text messaging programs to communicate with typically hard to reach populations; provide important, but sensitive health related information; increase attendance for appointments through text reminders; and extend support for smoking cessation, weight loss, and various disease management programs.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Research from one program for teens with diabetes called \u2018Sweet Talk\u2019 has shown an increase in self-efficacy and a greater adherence to proper management of the disease.\u00a0 The benefit of many such texting programs is that patients became more active agents in their own health care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texting has definite limitations.\u00a0 The size of the screens and only being able to use 160 characters at a time are challenging.\u00a0 How can you effectively use a medium with these constraints to convey information or address issues that are emotionally charged?\u00a0 Good question.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And yet, some of the advantages of using text messaging, as identified by health researchers are:<\/p>\n