Question

Topic: Social Media

Privacy/ethics In Social Media Engagement

Posted by Anonymous on7/19/2010 at 1:03 PM ET 500 Points
Does anyone know of any examples/case studies for mental-health/social work related fields that examines the issue of how to handle Social Media policy related to client/practice interaction?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted bySteveByrneMarketingon7/19/2010 at 5:50 PM Member
    maybe this link will help ...

    https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6156/Why-a-Social-Media-Policy...
  • Posted on7/19/2010 at 5:55 PM Author
    thanks Steve. Good read, but not necessarily what Im looking for. This question is more about how, when working with youth in a mental health capacity, there might be boundary/other issues in allowing a "connection" to, lets say a FB profile, even after the youth is no longer in your program. On the one hand, you want to connect. On the other hand, the type of relationships sometimes necessitates boundaries. So, its less about a social media policy than it is about understanding the benefits/detraction of social media engagement in the mental health/youth setting.
  • Posted on7/19/2010 at 11:09 PM Accepted
    I would take a conservative stance because although they are no longer your client, confidentiality still applies and there are inherent privacy issues related to Facebook, i.e. an application that you authorize sharing information also can access your friends info depending on how you set privacy controls.

    I would suggest setting up a "Like" a.k.a. Fan or Group page for your practice as a way to connect while maintaining appropriate professional guidelines.https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

    "NASW, APAs, and ACA codes all stress the need for informed consent, the need to protect client confidentiality, and the importance of placing a client’s emotional needs before those of the provider. Attention to these mandates, in themselves, should provide a considerable amount of guidance even if social networks and social media sites aren’t mentioned by name."https://melindaklewis.com/2010/01/25/social-work-ethics-and-social-media/

    Hope this helps.
  • Posted byChris Blackmanon7/20/2010 at 10:53 AM Member
    Can you explain what your rationale is in thinking about implementing some kind of social networking/interaction around your practice/with your clients/ex-clients?

    What do you hope to achieve?

    Is it a marketing objective, or a therapeutic one? For whom are you doing this - for yourself, or the client?

    What does your professional body have to say on the subject?

    I'm struggling to see the upside and can only identify potential problem areas at the moment. In the absence of a really compelling, strategically sound argument, I would not recommend the idea.
  • Posted on7/20/2010 at 11:02 AM Author
    Jennifer/ChrisB
    Thanks to both of you for your thoughtful responses. Very helpful.
    To answer the question--im "researching" best practices on behalf of someone else. But, more importantly. its less about trying to establish a SM platform or policy, and more about protecting the employee believe it or not. So, in other words, if I have a FB account and a former client can find even the most basic info about me and/or might want to connect--what is the right course of action. Recognizing you can lock down your profiles etc, but there is also a question of rejection (which is more significant when dealing with a youth/mentor type relationship).
    Again--thanks for your insights. I think I will go ahead and close this one out for now.
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