Social Media sites seem to have spread like mushrooms in a damp summer. Facebook, Twitter. Even knitters have Ravelry. WE could argue about how useful these sites actually are and what "friending" really means, but that is for another day. My concern lately has been possible conflicts for therapists and patients. Last week I worked on a social media policy for my practice and posted it here. In the interests of discussion, I thought I would post it here as well and ask you, my readers, your thoughts on this issue.
Social Media Policy
° Friending
I do not accept friend requests from current or former patients. This holds true on Facebook, LinkedIn, and all other social networking sites. I feel that adding clients as friends on these websites blurs the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please feel free to bring them up when we meet and I’m happy to talk more about it.
I do not follow current or former clients on blogs or Twitter. If there are things you wish to share with me from your online life, I strongly encourage you to bring them into our sessions where we can process them together, during the therapy hour.
° Interacting via social media sites
Please do not use messaging on websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to contact me. If you need to contact me between sessions, the best way to do so is by phone or direct email.
° Use of Search Engines
It is NOT a regular part of my practice to search for clients on Google or other search engines.
If you choose to communicate with me by email, please be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of your and my Internet service providers. While it is unlikely that someone will be looking at these logs, they are, in theory, available to be read by the system administrator(s) of the Internet service provider.
Thanks to Dr. Keely Kolmes for her permission to modify her form.