Social Media Policy
Dear Client,
There is no doubt that social media has become interwoven in the fabric of our everyday life since the late 1990’s. It is a convenient and preferred method for most of our modern-day communication and our interactions with each other; so often, it’s become the go-to source for people to get daily news. While social media can be a good tool to help people get engaged and informed, it has also blurred the line between our professional and personal lives. Defining and walking this line with graceful balance is an art I’m still learning to master, so that I can best serve you while honoring my personal needs in this digital age.
I’m sure you have encountered plenty of therapists, life coaches, wellness practitioners, and gurus who have successfully utilized these social media platforms (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.) for professional and marketing purposes. However, after first learning about the negative impacts of social media on our mental health in 2009, then with the uncovering of privacy issues with Facebook in 2010, this had led me to permanently delete my FB account in early 2011.
Through additional research over the years, I have concluded that these forms of communication and interactions can greatly compromise your privacy, security and confidentiality. Those are the risks I am not willing to take, as I am highly protective of your privacy, confidentiality, safety and the trust within our therapeutic relationship.
I am aware that as long as any one of us has an online presence, there is a great possibility that we may run into each other on the world wide web. So, I have developed my own policy to clarify my boundaries with regards to social media. Please review this policy as it can help you understand how I conduct myself on the internet, and how you can expect me to respond to various interactions that may occur between us on the internet.
Website & Blog
The sole purpose of my website is to provide information about my private practice and offer additional resources to you, communities, mental-health/health professionals, etc. My private practice is not affiliated with any faith organizations, religious groups, businesses, past agencies or current place of employment. Please note that the information on my website should never replace actual services provided by a qualified mental-health professional or licensed healthcare provider.
My blog is a place for me to reflect and connect with you. Through sharing some of my humanness, knowledge from my years working as a mental health professional, along with lessons and wisdom from my healing and soul journeys, my intention is to help raise social awareness, clarify misinformation, reduce cultural stigma about mental health and therapy, and open more dialogues about spiritual practice, healing and wellness. It is meant to offer you insights and inspiration, nourishment for your soul, words to encourage you, and practical tools for your everyday wellness. More importantly, it is meant to facilitate a space for you to engage in your own reflective practice.
I have found that through my reflective practice, creative process and expressive writing, I get to access the deeper wisdom within me that the everyday language often fails to articulate. My writing is my heart-felt offering to the global family that I don’t get to interact in my daily life. I have always believed that the power of (spoken or written) words can heal and connect hearts when it is exercised with discernment, wisdom, compassion and loving-kindness.
If any of the content on my website/blog piques your curiosity or causes confusion, please ask me for clarification but do not make assumption or take anything out of context. I would greatly appreciate the credit given back to me should you use any of my content for your social media posts, website, blog or literary work. Respecting each other’s (online) presence and honoring each other’s work are how we empower each other to thrive together. There is plenty of room at the table for all of us to claim our greatness.
If you’re my client and choose to comment on my blog, please create a pseudonym so your personal identification and privacy are not publicly revealed. With that said, please understand that I will never post highly personal details of my life, out of respect for my privacy and the privacy of those around me. The insights and views expressed on my website/blog are mine alone, unless otherwise indicated. If you have any concerns regarding any information on my website/blog, please discuss it with me during session.
Friending & Following
I have chosen to disengage from social media for many years. My mental health and wellbeing have been fabulous without it; my life has been more at peace without it, so I’d like to keep it that way. However, I do stay informed and conduct research due to the ongoing changing landscape of my work and its intersection with technology.
LinkedIn is the only social media account I do try to keep. However, I strictly use to maintain my professional connection with my colleagues and associates. I do not accept friend, following or contact requests from current or former clients.
Interacting
Please do not use messaging on social networking sites like LinkedIn or Google to contact me. Communications via these sites are not secure and I may not read these messages in a timely manner. Engaging with me this way could compromise your privacy and confidentiality. It is also possible that these exchanges may become a part of your legal medical record and will need to be documented and archived in your chart.
If there are concerns regarding your online life that you wish to discuss, please bring them into the therapeutic space and we can explore them together during our sessions.
Use of Search Engines
It is NOT a part of my practice to search for clients or look for their information on Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or any other search engines. I believe that gathering information about clients without clients’ permission violates clients’ privacy rights. However, I do understand if you might choose to gather information about me this way.
Additionally, I am fully aware that there is a great amount of information available about people online, much of which may actually be known to that individual and some of which may be completely inaccurate or unknown. If you encounter any information about me through web searches, please bring this to my attention during our session so that we can discuss its potential impact on your therapeutic process.
Business Review Websites
You may find my practice on sites such as Google, Healthgrades, and other business directory. Some of these sites include forums in which users rate their providers and add reviews. Many of these sites comb search engines for business listings and automatically add listings regardless of whether the business has added itself to the site. Should you find my listing on any of these sites, please know that my listing is NOT a request for a testimonial, rating, or endorsement from you. Per NASW Code of Ethics, it is unethical for clinical social workers to solicit or request for testimonials from clients.
Due to confidentiality, I cannot respond to any review on any of these sites whether it is positive or negative. Confidentiality means that I cannot tell people that you are my client. I urge you to take your privacy as seriously as I take my commitment of confidentiality to you. Of course, you have the right to tell anyone you wish that I am your therapist or express how you feel about your therapeutic experience. However, please do not rate or review my work with you on any of the above-mentioned websites while you are in still in therapy. Doing so has a significant potential to damage our ability to work together, and may jeopardize your privacy.
A healthy therapeutic alliance is important to your wellbeing and successful therapy outcome. If you use these websites or social media to communicate indirectly with me about your feelings towards our work, there is a good possibility that I may never see it. If we are working together, I hope that you will bring your feelings and reactions about our work directly into the therapeutic space. This can provide helpful information to me, even if you decide we are not a good fit. I will not take your feedbacks or decision personally as it is within my ethical duty to honor your self-determination and ensure what is in your best interest.
Email & Text Messaging
If you need to contact me between sessions, the best way to do so is by emailing, sending me a quick text, calling my phone or leaving a voicemail. And it is reserved for administrative purposes only (i.e., running late to session, rescheduling, cancelling or requesting an appointment). Please know that email and text messaging are not the most secure forms of communication.
Thank you for taking the time to review my Social Media Policy. If you have any concerns or questions, I welcome and encourage open discussion regarding this policy. As new technology emerges and our digital world changes, I will continue to research and update this policy as necessary. Any updates to this policy will be posted on this website.