Social Media Policy
Social Media and Electronic Information Policy
This section outlines the policy of The Authentic Space Therapy with regards to the use of social media and electronic information. If you, as a client, have questions about any aspect of this policy, please ask. The technological world is constantly changing and policies are regularly updated, so for the latest version of the policy will be available on my website.
Friending
I do not accept friend or contact requests from former or current clients on any social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) as this can not only compromise your confidentiality (e.g. if another of my friends saw that you were a friend they may wonder how we know each other) but would also blur the boundary of the therapeutic relationship.
Following
I may post on social media such as Instagram as a business and while you are of course free to follow my business accounts, I do not reply to comments and I do not respond to direct messaging for security purposes. I also do not follow or interact with clients on social media either for reasons around confidentiality or boundaries as explained above.
Interacting
Please do not use public ways of contact (e.g. @replies or #tagging) because of the potential for this to compromise your confidentiality. You may use text to discuss appointment times or other logistics but not therapeutic issues. The latter cannot be kept secure.
Use of Search Engines
I do not routinely Google my clients but may very occasionally do so if there is an urgent/critical demand. For example, if you had failed to attend a session and I was concerned for your safety, I may use search engines as a source of information. If I did so, you would be informed about it during the next session.
Business Review Sites
You may find my name on business review sites but I have not requested to be on these. Businesses do not get a choice. Clients are free to post whatever they wish and due to confidentiality, I cannot comment on anything that is posted. Anyone (including a competitor) can post anything on review sites, so please be aware that any positive or negative reviews may not reflect the views of genuine clients.
My professional body, the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), consider the practice of publishing testimonials to be unethical. As such, no testimonials will be published on my website or social media channels. I do welcome private messages from clients who have completed their therapy as the feedback is always useful.
It is preferable to use email only for logistical contact (e.g. for appointment times and address information) due to the inherent insecurity of email. If you wish to engage in “email therapy”, please use a password-protected Microsoft Word document to contain whatever you wish to communicate. I can set this up for you if needed.
Telephone
As above, texting may be used for contact about appointment times/address details. I will not be able to answer the phone if I am with another client, therefore, texting is preferable. Whether phoning or texting, please only do so between the hours of 8am and 8pm.