Ethics of Social Media for Mental Health Professionals: Pitfalls & Possibilities

Fulfills requirement: Professional Ethics for all professions. Check with your state board if you have questions.

Includes customizable social media policy form.

Social media platforms continue to evolve at a speed that often outpaces professional organizations’ abilities to provide up-to-date guidelines. Some mental health professionals advocate for never posting about themselves or their clients online. Yet, others are attracting hundreds of thousands of followers by dispensing mental health advice in quirky and entertaining ways, sometimes in a manner that leaves colleagues and patients alike questioning such an approach.

This advanced beginner/intermediate course is designed to address some of the ethical ambiguities and highlight some of the potential unintended consequences of engaging in social media, while also providing pragmatic guidelines and recommendations.

The course begins with an interview conducted by Glenn Marks, Ph.D., with Courtney Warren, Ph.D., ABPP, faculty member, author, and social media expert. Dr. Warren defines social media, discusses HIPAA considerations when using social media, provides strategies for mitigating inappropriate posts, and emphasizes the importance of establishing a social media policy. The interview is followed by two articles that further address ethical considerations and guidelines. The first article provides specific references to ethics codes and supplementary guidelines on social media use from the major mental health professional organizations. Eleven clinical vignettes are presented which illustrate problematic use of social media along with alternatives or remedies. In addition, federal laws and state regulations related to social media use are discussed. The second article serves as a brief commentary on some hotly debated topics arising from therapists’ social media posts, namely therapists’ self-disclosure and sharing client stories. All materials are presented in both written and audio formats.

As an added bonus, sample customizable social media policies are included in a Word format