Like I said - In general. LOL anyone and everyone I guess.

I have been on and in many on line support gorups for the past 5 years and everywhere the reaction is the same - when a professional reviels themselfs you have

Those that clam up for a bit
Those that get mad because of a professionals prsence
those that ask loads of questions
And those that accept

all because they forgot the internet is like sending a post card through the US mail - nice pictures but open to the public for all to see regardless of race, religion, gender and yes profession.

Everyone accepts everyone unconditionally UNTIL a professional reviels their presence. They forget that they could very well have been talking and supporting a professional but dont think about that because the professional they have been supporting did not reviel that they were a professional.

SKR and I had a great time when I helped her register for a support group that I was a member of. We went into the chat room and revieled right away that she was my therapist. She was also a client of the therapy field because therapists have to have their own therapists unless they are at licensing level. She was certified but not liscensed so as a part of her training program she had to be in therapy herself.

We had all the above reactions people left the chat room angry because she was there, we had people who asked her lots of question and there were people who just accepted her. The end result was that she was finally accepted by everyone when a discussion came up about how the internet is and how anyone can be any one and prfessionals are there anyway we SKR and I just happened to decide to be the ones to reviel from the get go that she was a professional and was my therapist.

basically what I am saying here is that I know from the get go when I come to on line support and therapy groups I know that there is a whole mixture of people who are going to be there and a part of that group also and that include therapy professionals and whatever other type of professionals there are in this world.

I myself have been very open from the get go and let everyone know that my own therapist knows what on line support groups I am in and when I tell my therapists that I am in on line support groups I also tell them who I am going by and how to find the sites. That knowledge and invitation extends to those professionals that I have contact with and sometime quote their work or activities. That knowledge and invitation also extends to my frineds in my life.

So right there people here have known for however long I have been a member here that professionals may be here at the very least reading my posts and threads and those people may have decided to register and blend in here for themselves.

Not only that from time to time here security has been up for discussion and again we talk about how ANYONE can come here and read the community boards registered or not and those people registered or not can be people who know us, therapy professionals and so on. and everyone is told in so many ways - don't reviel anything that would reviel who you are or where you are or any information that could end up coming back to bite in the you know where.

This was also discussed when the blogs became active amd people realized that anyone and everyone had access to the blogs just by typing in a word that matches a word in the persons blog. Everyone got upset when they realized that their friends, family therapists and so on would read what they write.

The bottom line is that no matter where a person goes on the internet there is going to be a professional at the very least reading the posts. Whether or not they reviel themselves. Thats the risk we all take by putting ourselves out there and writing things on messageboards and blogs. even pming because anyone can be anyone on line unless we have real world contact with the person we have no idea who we are pming and chatting with and those people can very well be our family friends and yes professionals.

This said I personally don't have a problem when a therpay professional decides to reviel themselves in any on line support or therapy group that I am in. Whether or not I know by name that they are there - they are there. So there is no reason for me to blast them with "explain yourself" type questions.

I accept and welcome them just like I would anyone else in the group - by saying welcome and post when you feel comfortable and Im here if I can help you.

Im just pointing out the obvious and what has been discussed many times here already and my point of view on it and welcoming a member who just happens to be a professional.