Social Media Ethics for Counsellors & Therapists
These guidelines are built for counsellors in BC, Canada. Though the general guides would apply to counsellors and therapists in other locations be sure to check your local requirements for social media rules and ethics.
Maybe you’ve been doing this for years and are just getting into using social media or maybe you’re right out of school and would like to use social media to promote your services. Social media is a fantastic tool to help share your brand and bring in clients. Because of the ethics that are involved in counselling and protecting you and your clients; there are some rules. Here I’m going to break down what you need to know and how to go about using social media for your benefit without breaching ethics.
Can I Use Social Media?
Yes, you can but the BCACC requires RCCs to provide a social media policy that is accessible to their clients and the public. Your social media profiles can be used for education for your community which in turn will end up promoting your services.
What Do I Put In My Social Media Policy?
Your personal social media policy should touch on the following categories:
Social Media (Friending, Following, & Interacting)
You may not ‘friend’ or follow clients via social media
Clients are more than welcome to follow your social media
You do not contact clients via social media (provide a place where they can do this via secure email or phone)
State that your social media is for education and not advertising
Ensure your clients that you will keep their confidentiality even when using social media
Social media sites are not secure and therefore unfit for confidential communication
Business Reviews & Websites
Soliciting reviews from clients is prohibited and any reviews that may be found online could be from other professionals as well as clients
You will not respond to reviews on Google, Yelp, or other business listing sites and will never ask anyone to leave a review
Public Search Engines
You do not Google/Use Search Engines to find information on clients ensure them that your client will be able to build their relationship organically with you
Location-Based Services
Warn clients about location-based services on their mobile devices. They should be aware of these and that they have the option to remove/turn off these applications to ensure confidentiality
Next Steps
What’s next? Write your policy, stick to it, and use social media to educate and promote your services in an ethical way. Use the link below to access the BCACC PDF document of Standard for the Use of Technology in Counselling to ensure you cover all your bases. It also outlines all uses of technology within your practice and is a helpful guide for blog writing, counselling via a phone or Zoom call, and podcasts.
Need some help with this? We would be more than happy to sit down with you and help you write your personal policy helping making sure it meets the necessary standards.