A question regarding the counseling of those under the age of 18.

[Toriach]

As some of you may know there is a thread http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=64400&page=1&pp=5 regarding setting up a mentorship program. One of the things that has come up for discussion is how to handle issues of safety for the mentored. Mol's thought was that it would be best to have the mentor/mentored relationship take place in a public forum. I asked if it would be possible to make it semi public allowing the mentorship pairs some privacy while still allow for oversight by those in charge of MW.

It also has occurred to me to wonder if perhaps we shouldn't be setting up something similar for the counseling of those persons under that age of 18. After all counseling just like mentorship is a very personal relationship. And while no one that I have met here strikes as someone who would do anything untoward, if they gave advice, or even said something that the person took as advice and it went badly there is the potential for problems.

Now obviously I'm not suggesting not counseling those under 18. Merely thought that I would bring up some thoughts I had in hopes of perhaps forestalling potential problems.

[Lala]

while I think it's a good idea to monitor, I'm not sure if those under 18 would be comfortable having thier personal thoughts posted in a public forum

[Tsuchimaru]

while I think it's a good idea to monitor, I'm not sure if those under 18 would be comfortable having thier personal thoughts posted in a public forum

I know I wouldn't... :goodgrief

[{Tigress}]

Of course, we'll handle this in any way Mol and Semele feel is necessary and proper. The reality of this Forum is that this is just a way to organize people talking to people, peer to peer. Since our focus is simply on giving those in need a place to come to seek an ear or a shoulder, when people request help, I try to find someone in their age group to talk with them, so they can better relate to the issues at hand. Were our focus truly counseling, I would of course be looking for older people to talk to younger ones so they could share their years of experience and advice.

But, you may have brought up concerns that Mol and Semele might wish to address, and if so, we'll be happy to do whatever they want to make this work for them as well as the community as a whole.

[Vamp777]

I am under 18 and if i need help, i'll get it anyway i can. I DO NOT mind having my problems posted. I think that if you need counseling and dont want it posted, you should probably go elsewhere. Im only 15 and I know what i need and when i need it and i dont think that other people should be discussing my privacy issues on the internet.

[misschief]

the majority of those i talk to as a counselor are under 18.i'd say they've probably been between 15 and 19 most of the time. and most of them would have never come forth with their problems if they had to do it publicly, or at least not told the whole truth... which i need to help them sort it out. if there are concerns about what could be said during the talks.. maybe we could save them to our computers or something. i just know that i have at least one person i talk to who would likely be dead right now without someone to listen to them, and i know they wouldn't have made their problems known public. i'm definately all for some kind of moderation on it, because i've been concerned a couple times by things said to me by minors... but i dealt with it accordingly and ,luckily, have had no problems so far. there have been a few times i would have called authorities had i known where the person i was speaking with was, but, the way i see it, that's why they come to me. they know all i can do is listen to them and help them put everything in order to be dealt with. *shrug* i think less people will come out with their problems if they think we are saving every word they say... yet at the same time some kind of record is kinda needed. so i don't know. i'm willing to go with whatever decision is made. but i won't save anything said unless the other person is made aware before i do it. i like them to know conversations with me are completely private, and that it will never be brought up again unless they want it to be.

[halfwaynowhere]

well, i don't think the age thing is so important, i mean, aren't the counselors here as friends to talk to when theres nobody else to turn to, or something like that? People can talk to friends about their problems, and if people feel that they need to talk to one of us, isn't that the same thing as having a friend? Its not like we all claim to be professionals and stuff, we don't try to take the place of professional help when it is really needed. I just don't see how age could be an issue, but then again, i may just be missing something altogether....

[tygherrayn]

Me personally? I don't think I connect very well with those under 18, so I've noted that in my profile, that I care to counsel people closer to my own age, and older .. but only so far older as well. I don't feel that I can understand what some generations go through, how they were/are raised, etc, and so it's harder for me to be a shoulder for them.

I think this is true for the bulk of the MW Peer Counselors also, so I believe it's a fairly self-policing system.

[Starry Di]

While I don't mind my thoughts/experiances being shared between people, I just woudln't want it posted on a public forum that any old person could walk through.

Perhaps, if someone wanted to know if other people went through their experiances and how the mentoring program helped, they could simply just ask in their post, and the people who've been mentored before could feel free to PM about it if they didn't wish to post about it?