Social Media Ethics (part 2): Developing Your Social Media Policy

Social media ethics are starting to be addressed by mental health professional organizations or licensing boards but those guidelines, if they exist, are generally vague.

It's important for clinicians to take time to think through the implications of their online interactions on clients to avoid dual relationships, putting client's privacy at risk, or jeopardizing the therapeutic relationship.

Including a written social media policy as a client's initial treatment contract helps clarify how technology will be used in client-therapist interaction so it doesn't interfere with treatment.

On the forefront of the social media ethics discussion is licensed psychologist Keeley Kolmes. Psy.D. Dr. Kolmes' comprehensive social media policy has been a model for mental health therapists around the world. She generously allows clinicians to adapt her social media policy for their own use and frequently speaks, writes, and teaches on social media topics. I used it as a springboard for developing my own social media policy.

If you don't have a social media policy, I suggest that you develop one. The goal of your policy is to clearly outline your expectations regarding online interaction, educate the client of risks, and have a clear rationale for how you will or will not engage with clients online. Here are some suggested topics to cover in your policy and a few questions to help you solidify your philosophy regarding social media interaction.

Friending Will you accept friend requests on Facebook, Linked In, Google+? Why or why not?

Following Will you allow clients to follow you on Twitter, Blogs, Pinterest? If not, how will you handle it if they do follow you? Will you follow back?

Messaging Is it appropriate for clients to contact you via SMS? Or social media sites like Twitter DM? If so, what information is appropriate?

Business Review Sites What are the risks that clients take when reviewing your services on sites like Yelp or Healthgrades? Keep in mind that if a client gives you a negative review it is unethical to respond directly to the review as it breaks client confidentiality.

Google Reader What if a client wants to share an article with you through Google reader?

Search Engine Do you make a practice of Google searching your clients? Are there emergency situations where you would search for their information or information of someone close to them?

Location Based-Services If clients check-in to your location on GPS services like Foursquare or Facebook check-in are they aware of the risks that they might be identified as clients?

Email Correspondence What type of information is appropriate to send via email? How quickly a client can anticipate an email response?

Email/Newsletter Lists If you have a newsletter sign-up on your website do you expect clients to sign up on email or newsletter lists?

If you can think of a topic I missed in the list above, let me know.

Are you willing to share your social media policy? If so, please post the link in a comment below.

Social Media Ethics (part 1): Digital Dual Relationship Dilemmas

photo credit: Eric Schwartzman

I’ve spent months writing about how to effectively use technology, and social media in particular, to build your private mental health practice. While the Internet has opened up exciting new ways for mental health therapists in private practice to market their practice, reach potential clients, and educate the public, it has also allowed for new ethical dilemmas.

When I first started practicing nearly two decades ago, I was concerned about my child being on the same soccer team as a client's child, or about running into clients at parties of mutual friends. The increasing Internet usage by therapists and clients alike has created new opportunities for dual relationships online. Over the coming weeks I'll be discussing ways to use social media ethically in the digital age.

Here are a just few examples of digital dual relationship dilemmas that therapists now face:

• “A former clients sent a ‘friend’ request on my personal Facebook page? Should I accept it?”
• “One of my clients is a friend of one of my family members on Facebook. I don’t want him to have access to my personal information, photos, etc. Is there anything I can do to protect my personal information?”
• “A client just posted a comment on my private practice Facebook page that reveals some clinical information about his symptoms. How should I handle this?”
• “A potential client sent me a direct message on Twitter inquiring about my therapy services. Is Twitter confidential? How should I respond?”
• “During an initial intake with a new client the client shared some grandiose facts about her successful work history and public accolades. Should I Google her name to see if what she’s reporting is true?”
• “I just saw that a client is following me on Pinterest. I’m not sure how I feel about her seeing boards about how I want to decorate my dream house.”
• “Should I enable or disable comments on my private practice website blog? I'm concerned that it may look like I'm encouraging clients to comment on my blog."

I want to hear from you...

Have you faced any of these situations in your clinical practice?

What are some ethical dilemmas you've come across since venturing into social media?

Do you have any specific questions or ethical concerns about the impact of your online activity and it's potential impact on the client-therapist relationship?

Facebook Pages for Therapists: Some Benefits and Risks

Some therapists have embraced Facebook and others are hesitant to venture into social networking arena.  Here are my thoughts on the benefits and risks of setting up a Facebook page. Benefits of a Facebook Page for your Practice

• Free marketing.
• Raises visibility of your practice.
• Allows Facebook users to easily find your practice.
• Provide education and resources to those who "like" your page.
• Post links to your website on your page wall to increase your web traffic.
• Network with other local businesses to increase referrals.
• You will have the option of posting on Facebook as your therapy clinic page name (instead of your personal profile name) allowing you to network, post on other Facebook pages, and increase visitors to your Facebook  page.
• People who "like" your page can not contact you directly or message you through Facebook.
• As the page administrator you have many options to control what content others are allowed to post on your page.
• There are amazing apps available for pages that will help you build your business.
• You can set up your website blog feed to automatically post to your page.

Concerns Regarding a Practice Facebook Page

• Privacy cannot be guaranteed. Any use of technology carries some risk of breach of confidentiality. Here's what Facebook.com privacy policy disclaimer says:

Although we allow you to set privacy options that limit access to your information, please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of other users with whom you share your information. We cannot guarantee that only authorized persons will view your information. We cannot ensure that information you share on Facebook will not become publicly available.

• Potential for dual relationships. Clients may choose to identify themselves as your client in their posts or comments. While there is no way for visitors to know which of you "likes" are clients and which are family, friends, business associates, and others people may make assumptions based on who "likes" your page.
• Impact to client-therapist relationship. Issues may arise through interacting on your page that may impact the therapeutic relationship. For example, if a client comments on an article that you post and you don't comment back, he or she may be hurt. Consider adding a social media policy to your privacy policy on your website and or initial client paperwork that outlines your professional boundaries.
• It takes time to update and maintain a Facebook page.

As therapists, we have to weigh the benefits and the risks. Do you have a Facebook page for your practice? If you've decide to set up a Facebook page for your practice, my next post will help you get started.

photo credit: mr. nightshade

Why Social Media Matters to Therapists

You're in the mental health field because you want to make a difference and make a living, right? Technology and new media now allow therapists to educate and interact with worldwide audience and to talk directly to ideal clients...for free. Take a look at these recent statistics from the top social media sites:

1. There are 750 million active users (Facebook.com)
2. 200 million Tweets go out daily on Twitter (Twitter.com)
3. Over 400 billion YouTube videos videos are viewed each day (YouTube.com)

Of the 750 million Facebook users, half log into the site daily. This is great news for therapists in private practice because you now have access to thousands of your ideal clients. Can they find you? Do you have a Facebook "Page" for your therapy practice? (I'll be posting soon about the difference between a Facebook profile and a page). It's a great way to share resources, articles, and provide information about your practice and the issues that matter to you and your clients.

How about Twitter or YouTube? Can your ideal clients find you there? Are you tweeting about your specialty areas or your services? Do you have a video introducing yourself and your practice on YouTube? Think about it. Your potential clients are on the internet looking for mental health information and services. If you're feeling overwhelmed by these suggestions, never fear! I'll be walking you through effective and efficient ways to use social media sites to build your practice as the weeks go on. Keep in mind that social media sites are additional forums for building referral sources and networking, a place to talk with people.

So, why are so many therapists reluctant to embrace social media? Fears regarding breaches of confidentiality and the potential dual relationships are common concerns, however, there are ways to set up social media accounts so you're not mixing personal and professional information and relationships. In upcoming posts I'll suggest ways to utilize social media in an ethical way that helps you do a better job at educating on topics you're passionate about and using it in a way that builds your private practice.

Do you have questions, concerns, or fears about using social media to build your therapy practice? I'd love to discuss them so please post comments below.

photo credit: :: nany mata.