Electronic and Social Media Policy
These guidelines have been written to inform you, the client, about MK Counseling and Wellness’s policy regarding therapist-client communications and use of social media. Please review it to understand what you can expect from your therapist regarding these communication methods.
Email, texting, use of social media, and video chatting are common forms of communication in our society today. At times, people are more comfortable utilizing these forms of communication as an alternative to in-person or telephone. Electronic communication and social media sites are not secure and confidential, and at any time, a third party may be able to intercept these communications. Furthermore, any information you send to and receive electronically by MK Counseling and Wellness becomes a part of your medical record. To preserve the confidential nature of therapeutic relationships, MK Counseling and Wellness therapists will not seek out clients on social media sites, nor accept requests on their own personal social media pages. Therapists will also not monitor their clients’ activities on social media sites.
Friending
Therapists at MK Counseling and Wellness will not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc). We believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when meeting with your therapist to discuss further.
Fanning
MK Counseling and Wellness maintain’s a Facebook Page for the professional practice. This page is used to allow colleagues to share practice updates, blog posts, and education within Facebook. I will do my best to link the information shared on this platform to the MK Counseling and Wellness website.
While clients are always welcome to visit the Facebook Page and view or share content posted, therapists will not accept clients as Fans of this Page. We believe having clients as Facebook Fans creates a greater likelihood of compromised client confidentiality and feel it is best to be explicit to all who may view the list of Fans to know that they will not find client names on that list. In addition, the National Association of Social Work’s Ethics Code prohibits soliciting testimonials from clients. The term “Fan” comes too close to an implied request for a public endorsement of the practice. Note that you should be able to subscribe to the page via RSS without becoming a Fan and without creating a visible, public link to the practice Page. You are more than welcome to do this.
Following
When information is published on any social media site, there are no expectation that you as a client will want to follow. However, if you use an easily recognizable name on Twitter and MK Counseling and Wellness happen to notice that you’ve followed the practice there, your therapist may briefly discuss it and its potential impact on the working relationship.
Interacting
Please do not use SMS (mobile phone text messaging) or messaging on Social Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to therapists at MK Counseling and Wellness. These sites are not secure and therapists may not read these messages in a timely fashion. Do not use wall postings, @replies, or other means of engaging with therapists in public online there has been an already established client/therapist relationship. Engaging with therapists this way could compromise your confidentiality. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become a part of your legal medical record and will need to be documented and archived in your chart. If you need to contact a therapist between sessions, the best way to do so is by phone. A direct email is second best for quick, administrative issues such as changing appointment times. See the email section below for more information regarding email interactions.
Accordingly, electronic communication sent to and received by MK Counseling and Wellness is not intended to be used for any mental health treatment, advice or counseling. Such services must be conducted in a therapy session either in-person or via telephone. Electronic communication, such as texting and email, is intended for basic information only and may be used to arrange appointments, advise of benefit information, and/or clarify billing questions.
In addition, electronic communication is not intended for a crisis situation. If you are experiencing a life threatening clinical emergency, please consider the following options: 1) dial 911; 2) go to your nearest emergency room; or 3) contact your therapist based on the after hours communication method discussed. Your MK Counseling and Wellness therapist may revisit this policy during the course of your treatment, as appropriate, to ensure that the confidential nature of therapeutic services is preserved.
SMS Messaging
The “Contact Us” form on our website which captures phone numbers, is a non-mandatory field. In this case, if a client voluntarily provides us with a phone number, it is considered as their consent. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties