Is it OK for therapists to Google their clients? What is an appropriate response to a “Friend Request” from a client? Once we go beyond the initial negative responses, such as “Never!” or “It is unethical!”, we realize that these questions are complex and are among the hottest issues in the 21st century emerging field of Digital Ethics.
Please review our short introduction and some strong and varied opinions on the topic in our To Google or Not To Google article.
Examples of Informed Consent Statements Relating to Internet Searches
Following Dr. Marsha Linehan’s development of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), many clinicians breathed a collective sigh of relief. Finally, an effective approach to the treatment of this complex Personality Disorder was in hand.
While there is no clear standard of care in regard to psychotherapists Googling their clients, many psychotherapists and ethicists emphasize the importance of informed consent. Following are three examples of the “Use of Search Engines” in the “Social Media Policies” statements that are part of the “Informed Consent,” which are given to clients prior to the first session. These examples may help you formulate your own. Each example represents a different approach or attitude towards the issue: