The type of psychotherapy I offer (attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy) relies on maintaining a level of neutrality concerning what clients know about my personal life – that way, clients can truly concentrate on themselves.  However, in today’s world, it is virtually impossible to work without using digital technology of some sort (e.g. email, texts), which potentially impacts client confidentiality.

This document acknowledges the complex world of digital media and attempts to address issues that may impact the therapeutic relationship.  It is based on my own research and choices I have made with regard to my online presence, and will be, by its very nature, an ever-evolving document.  I ask all my clients to read through this document so they are familiar with my position.

My media activities

I use social media for personal purposes, not professional. As I keep it separate from my work as a psychotherapist.

Maintaining boundaries

The nature of an online presence can blur interpersonal boundaries.  Therefore, it is important to strive for clarity about how to maintain appropriate boundaries in psychotherapy: 

Email:

I always request a client's preferred email address as part of the initial session/s.  If clients choose to communicate with me via email, it is important to be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of Internet Service Providers. Furthermore, they can be vulnerable to viruses and unintended forwarding or replication.  If clients are concerned about the confidentiality of emails, they can contact me via telephone instead.  I check emails only during standard office hours.  Unless the issue is urgent or pertains to a weekend session, emails received outside of these hours may be checked, but would not be replied to until the following week.  However, emails should never be used in the event of an emergency, in which case you should contact emergency services.

It is best to be thoughtful about what you include in emails to me, and which email address you use to communicate with me.  I use an end-to-end encryption email provider (Protonmail), as well as a standard email provider (Fastmail). I prefer people do not send sensitive personal information via email, but if you want to share information I recommend downloading Protonmail (the basic programme is free to use).  I encourage people to use email for non-confidential communication, like setting up appointment times and the like. 

I endeavour to respond to all emails within two working days, unless I am away. 

E-invoicing:

If I invoice you for sessions every month. I do not supply receipts for money paid via BACS unless requested to do so.

Text messages:

Please feel free to contact me via text message to alert me if you are running late for a session or for similar reasons.  However, as it is difficult to communicate nuanced information via text, it is generally not a good way to communicate other matters.  In such instances, please phone and leave a message.  Please note, I am unable to offer emergency input via phone unless this is something we have planned (e.g. via text).

Should you experience a medical or similar emergency, contact the relevant emergency services. If you are feeling actively suicidal outside of session times, ring The Samaritans (free tel. no. 116 123).  But also do discuss this with me – I cannot offer emergency input around suicidal feelings, but therapy is a place to think about such issues calmly and thoughtfully.

Telephone/video calls:

I offer both in-person sessions and online sessions. Since online forms of communication can feel different to face to face work, it is important to discuss how the use of telephone or video calls changes the therapeutic work.  I make every effort to choose video conferencing software that is recognised to be adequately encrypted - so this may involve me requesting you to download certain software, or logging into a web-based application. When engaging in phone or video calls, we both agree not to use any recording devices.  

Client safety is paramount, so I ask clients to ensure the environment they are contacting me from is safe and secure. With this in mind, I do not engage in sessions where clients are driving as we talk, or if they will be driving immediately following a session. I also require clients not to engage in activities that would be distracting or affect their concentration (e.g. smoking or drinking alcohol).

Client’s Social Media:

I do not knowingly follow any current or former clients on any social media forums, including LinkedIn.

As with the nature of social media, sometimes it might happen that these boundaries are not easily manageable. If this is the case, I would aim to think about that with a client in session.

Google:

The use of Google as a way to find businesses or services has become the first port of call for many people. However, I wish to avoid encountering information about clients that does not directly come from them. As such, I avoid Googling clients. There is one possible situation where I may feel the need to complete an internet search about clients - if I am concerned about their wellbeing and I am unable to contact them in any way, I may search for information via Google.  This is something I would name in our next session.

It is obviously a client's right to Google me. However, if doing so raises questions about me, I encourage clients to discuss this in session. 

Thanks to:

Dr Aaron Balick for the option to adapt his own digital policy, (http://aaronbalick.com/pdf/digital-policy.pdf), which was itself based on the digital policy of Keely Kolmes, Psy. D. (www.drkkolmes.com).