3 Ethical Fears of Being a Therapist Online and How to Resolve Them

Every therapist knows that ethics is a critical component of working with clients. Once you add social media into the mix, things can get even more complicated. I’ve noticed that unfortunately, some in the profession are resistant to embracing technology and building an online presence related to their practice because of fear of the potential ethical problems. It’s true that there are risks involved in going online, but we don’t need to be run by this fear; the risks can be managed, and, as we’ve talked about so many times before, the benefits are staggering.

Here are 3 Ethical Fears of Being a Therapist Online, and How to Resolve Them:

1) A Client Breaking Professional Boundaries

If you’re findable on the internet, naturally you’re easier to contact as well. And while we find that most clients respect boundaries with their therapist, some may choose to disregard common rules of protocol, especially when a professional’s online presence facilitates their ability to do so.

Mari A. Lee, an LMFT who specializes in sex addiction recovery, prevents this by having her clients sign a social media form as part of the intake packet. “I do not allow clients to post to my business Facebook page or private message me,” she explains. “I do not accept friend requests or professional links from therapy clients on LinkedIn.” Mari describes how the few times that a client has attempted to add her, she simply redirects them back to her policy. By doing, she has never encountered an incident of professional boundaries being crossed (read more about Mari’s experience here).

Overall, being clear about what is and is not acceptable for your clients with regards to social media will all but prevent problems from occurring. Develop a social media policy for your practice, include it in your initial client paperwork, and have it available on your website (read more about developing a social media policy here). While you must be firm about your boundaries, try to communicate your expectations in a way that is not alienating or harsh. A client reading your content online is a good thing, so you don’t necessarily need to discourage all forms of social media engagement; it is direct contact that is prohibited.

2) The Risky Possibility of Dual Relationships

We all know that therapists in private practice should be cautious when entering dual relationships with clients and be mindful of  the potential risk of exploitation or harm to the client. This caution extends to online dual relationships as well. If you as a therapist have an online presence and engage in multiple professional activities (publishing, consulting, etc.), you might be worried that a client could feel pressured to purchase additional services or products from you. Whereas before you were a person that your client saw in an isolated setting, you are now an established figure that he/she can read about or follow anytime on the internet.

This fear really is unfounded. It’s okay for someone to find you online and understand that you are selling something in addition to seeing clients. As long as you’re not soliciting these things during a private session, you don’t need to try and hide the fact that you do other things. Your ethics courses taught you what need to know about avoiding these kinds of interactions.

If you think there might be a legitimate possibility that your outside professional activities encroach on the ethical integrity of your counseling, consider the following: Dr. William Doverspike, a licensed psychologist and president of the Georgia Psychological Association, proposes a very simple ethics test when contemplating dual relationships. Ask yourself these 5 questions to determine whether or not your online activities are ethically sound in relation to your clinical practice:

Is there a chance of:

1. loss of effectiveness of the professional?
2. loss of objectivity of the professional?
3. loss of competence of the professional?
4. risk of exploitation of the client?
5. risk of harm of the client?

If you can answer an honest no to all of these questions, you’re just fine in pursuing your other activities.

3) Posting TMI

Most of us have witnessed someone who gets too personal on Facebook or on other social media outlets. These platforms can be great for sharing information and photos and keeping in touch with one another, but sometimes people go too far.

Being cautious with social media activities becomes even more important for a therapist with an online presence. Where does your personal life begin and your work life end? Would your relationship with your client be jeopardized by something you posted about your own life? Is it possible for something to be appropriate for your personal page but not for your business page? Keep in mind that social media platform privacy settings are constantly shifting and that there is no guarantee that some information posted on personal profiles may still be accessible.

I trust that my friends reading this right now aren’t the type who post blatantly inappropriate or disrespectful material, but it can still be challenging to find that line. Here is the rule that I’ve created for myself that has worked well for me: if I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone in the world viewing it, I won’t post it at all. It’s that simple.

Once again, this potential ethical problem is easy to avert. Use common sense, your ethics training, a social media policy, and your best judgment. Overall, just trust yourself as to what to post; you are a professional after all!

The point of this post is that you don’t need to be run by fear when it comes to social media engagement. I encourage you to embrace the technological world and let it benefit both you and your clients.

I wrote an in-depth article about social media ethics. Click here to read it.

Get practice tips and blog updates in your inbox. Sign up for the Private Practice Toolbox Newsletter here

Join my Private Practice Toolbox Facebook group and connect with 2600 therapists around the globe in 2 simple steps: 1) Click request to join the group and 2) Fill out this brief questionnaire before you'll be added to the group.

The Power of Online Presence: Blogging Brings Training Opportunities for Art Therapist Lisa Mitchell LMFT

Discover how some very successful mental health professionals use blogging, social media, and other technologies as powerful tools for their therapy practices.

Lisa Mitchell MFT, ATR, LPC, is director of The Art Therapy Studio in Sacramento, CA and owner of InnerCanvas.com. She helps teens and adults use their creativity to heal from trauma, depression, and anxiety. Read here about how Lisa's online presence grew her outreach exponentially:

When and how did you first start putting time and effort into maintaining a strong online presence?

I started 13 months ago with my blog at InnerCanvas.com. I do have a small website for my local private practice, and I wrote an online newsletter for 5 years, but my serious efforts are with my blog.

I first had to commit to the writing schedule. Weekly content is not easy to come up with, and I had to really give myself space to create. I got support from a business coach who helped me know how to engage the readers I did have and how to interest new readers.

As an artist, I love to make things. So, I’ve used this love as a way to create things I know my blog readers and potential blog readers would love to receive as gifts. I’ve created a music playlist, several videos, art invitations, and a quiz. These were fun for the recipients and for me as well. Each time I offer something like this, my email list numbers jump considerably.

While other platforms have been important to growing my audience, I think of my blog as the thing that everything else pivots around. It has become a community that I love and am proud of.

Please describe what social platforms you currently use.

Facebook has been a wonderful place to meet colleagues and make connections. I use it to post blog entries and also get ideas from like-minded therapists.

LinkedIn has been incredible for connections that I couldn’t make on Facebook. I’ve messaged professionals in our field with questions, comments, and gratitude for their work and have engaged in some valuable conversations. The therapist groups on LinkedIn are very active, and I find that I can engage in some really good dialogue around my blog posts and others’ blog posts there.

I’m also on Twitter and Pinterest, but putting energy into these spreads me really thin. I’m thinking of hiring a social media person to cover this for me, but haven’t gone that far yet.

About how much time do you devote to your online presence? How do you balance it with your other work responsibilities?

I have to be really careful about the time I spend online. It is really seductive because I love learning and reading other people’s perspectives so much, so it would be easy to get carried away. I devote about 4 hours a week to blogging, posting, and generally updating my online presence.

I tend to integrate my art and creativity with my online presence, so it doesn’t feel so separate from my other work responsibilities. If I come up with a cool new art invitation, I will share it. If I am experimenting with a new art technique or medium, I’ll share that as well.

I do have a new rule for myself regarding how I use my time in between sessions. I decided that I couldn’t engage in my online activities during the 10 minutes between clients. Instead, I keep my creative process going by making art and/or staying present with real, non-digital activities. I wrote a blog post about it called "Five Ways to Limber Your Thinking Between Sessions" and got some really great responses from my tribe there.

What kinds of things do you use to inspire your content creation; what do you write about?

My focus in writing is to explore the parallels between the creative process and the therapeutic process. The two are beautifully linked, actually one in the same, and I love to think up new ways to teach and inspire therapists about creativity.

I am deeply reflective about my experience as a therapist, and I like to share these reflections in my writing. So my inspiration comes from my work as a therapist and my daily practice as an artist. I have a little list of criteria that I use when I write. I ask myself, Is the piece moving or inspiring? Does it share something meaningful or thought provoking? Is it ethically sound? These questions ensure that my content is not just a journal, but comes full circle and actually makes a point or teaches something.

How do you best balance personal and professional in your online activities? Please give examples.

Because I want to invite therapists to value their work and see it as a creative art form, I do include quite a bit of my own self-reflection in my online activities. I’m very cautious that I don’t violate client confidentiality in the process. Many of my blog posts are pieces that are about real experiences with clients, but I’ve changed much of the information and context in order to adhere to ethics.

I wrote “Sometimes there’s too much sadness....” and “The Art of Permission: What an artist can teach us about therapeutic use of self” in response to my own experiences. In each post, I share some personal thoughts, and then I link these thoughts to a broader, creative view that can apply to being a therapist in general.

What is some tangible evidence that your online presence has grown your business?

My online presence has been invaluable to the growth and expansion of my business. Not only have I met people from all over the world, I’ve also been approached and hired by multiple organizations. My training revenue has increased this year by 175%. My online course for therapists, Artfix, has filled every time I’ve offered it by therapists all over the world!

I’ve also been commissioned to write a book, “Creativity as Co-Therapist: The Practitioner’s Guide to the Art of Psychotherapy." It’s my dream to write this kind of book, and the editor found me first as a faculty member of the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, read my blog all the way through, and emailed me asking, “Do you have an idea for a book? We’d love to publish it.” The book will be out in the Spring of 2016.

Besides attracting clients, what other ways has your strong online presence helped you?

I was asked to develop a seminar for Cross Country Education as a result of the trainings that I had advertised on my website. Now I travel across the country offering these seminars to professionals who want to learn to use art in therapy safely and effectively.

This might sound silly, but it’s powerful: After my last speaking tour, I had a nightmare of a time flying home from the East Coast. I missed 4 flights, and it ended up taking 29 hours to travel across the county. I decided to post my frustration and sadness on Facebook. The support and well wishes I got from folks who had participated in workshops and follow my blog was touching. I really felt as if the community was there for me when I needed a pick-me-up.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered creating and maintaining your online presence?

The learning curve for me was overwhelming. Four years ago, I had no idea what an autoresponder or an opt-in box was. I am not someone who loves to figure details out, especially on a screen. Because I didn’t have the financial means to hire someone right away, I had to learn. So I took it very slow and gave myself a whole lot of room to experiment and make mistakes. I used to tell myself that I was just slower than everyone else, but I knew I could do it.

I also had to beef up my business marketing skills. My mentor Lynn Grodzki was very helpful and encouraging. I've learned a lot from Casey Truffo about how to earn a significant living through being a therapist. And I’m now part of an ongoing business coaching group with Andrea J. Lee. I learned that I couldn’t scrimp on coaching support. So rather than pay for the technical part to get done for me, I invested heavily in business strategy coaching. It’s really paid off.

What tips or resources can you recommend to help therapists who are new to the online world of blogging, social media, SEO, etc.?

Be kind to yourself and go at your own speed. Don’t invest big dollars until you are somewhat knowledgeable about being online. First, sign up for as many free and low cost opportunities as possible, just to get a feel for what this online world is all about.

We therapists are seldom in the limelight and are used to not being very visible. Check in with your feelings about this. If it feels very scary to show up and be seen by complete strangers, do some work and identify a reason why you want to get online. If you can find a way to turn the fear into excitement, you will do great. If you have a powerful WHY, you will do even better.

Lisa Mitchell, MFT, ATR, LPC Licensed Family & Marriage Therapist, Registered Art Therapist Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/InnerCanvas Blog: www.innercanvas.com Website: thearttherapystudio.com

Get practice tips and blog updates in your inbox. Sign up for the Private Practice Toolbox Newsletter here.

Join my Private Practice Toolbox Facebook group and connect with nearly 2000 therapists around the globe in 2 simple steps: 1) Click request to join the group & 2) Fill out this brief questionnaire before you'll be added to the group.

Need help blogging? Join my ongoing therapist blog challenge!

Therapist Blog Challenge #15: Parenting Tips

It's been a few weeks since our last Therapist Blog Challenge, but I'm ready to hit the ground running again if you are!

Therapist blog challenge #15 focuses on parenting defiant young children. This is something that every parent has experienced, and you as a professional may be able to provide some insight on this topic. Use the following format as a guide for how to best structure your blog post.

[Headline] Come up with a catchy title for your blog post. You may write your own or use one of the following:

How to Survive When Your Toddler's Driving You Crazy!

5 Steps to Make it Through the Terrible Twos

Keeping Your Cool With a Defiant Child

[Strong Intro] Lay out the topic with a little more detail and introduce your reader to your main points. Here's an example:

It's only 10 am, and your 2-year-old has already suffered a major meltdown. You were warned that the toddler years were tough, but you never expected anything like this! Here are 5 ways to survive with a defiant toddler.

[Scanable Content] This is the real meat of your blog post. Make sure to format your content in a way that is easy on the eyes by breaking it up into sections instead of just writing one long paragraph. Be sure to flesh out the details under each sub-topic.

1) Don’t lose control

Write a short paragraph about why it's important for a parent to stay in control. This may include explaining how a situation can escalate if an adult gets angry and how a child is more likely to respond positively to a parent who is calm.

2) Don't lose focus on who is responsible

Write a short paragraph about how parents need to remember that they are the ones responsible for helping their toddler. True, they cannot force a child to stop crying or acting out, but the parents are the adults and ultimately have the responsibility to improve the situation.

3) Pay attention to the positive

Now, write about ways that parents can recognize the good, even when a toddler has a meltdown. Has the child gotten a bit better since the last outburst?  Has a parent improved in becoming more patient or more firm in his/her approach? Write how there is something positive to be gleaned even from difficult situations with defiant toddlers.

4) Don’t assume the worst 

Write about ways in which a parent can remember that even the most difficult toddler doesn't have bad intentions. It's easy to become overwhelmed with stress and frustration, but parents should remember how young these children are. Remind your readers that defiant toddlers are still developing and are certainly not trying to cause trouble.

5) Set limits for your defiant child

Explain why setting limits for a child's behavior is crucial. Elaborate on how limits help your child learn consequences, how they can be appropriate punishment, and how limits can help a parent put an end to a tantrum.

[Strong Ending Paragraph] Here's where you wrap it up. Just one short paragraph to briefly summarize your main points will do. You may want to close with a question, such as "How have YOU best dealt with a defiant toddler?"

That's it. Now, get to writing!

Here are a few additional reminders about the blog challenge:

• Write and post your blog article in the next 2 weeks. If you miss the deadline or you read this article months later, that’s OK too.
• Post a link for this blog challenge in the comment section of this blog post.
• Read, comment, and share other therapist’s articles.
• Tweet your post using hashtag #therapistblog and tag @julie_hanks so I can retweet it.
• Pin it on the challenge Pinterest Board. I’ve invited everyone who posted a comment on the initial blog challenge post as collaborators so you can pin onto the group board.
• Spread the word and invite mental health colleagues to join the challenge. Articles can be added anytime throughout the year.
• Write no more than 600 words, make it easy to read, use a conversational tone, and gear your articles toward your ideal client (not other professionals).
• The goal of a professional blog is to provide value to your website visitors, help them get to know your professional perspective, increase traffic to your private practice website, and build your practice.

Here's a list of previous blog challenges.  Feel free to revisit!

The Power of Online Presence: Viral Blog Post Brings Book Deal for Amy Morin, LCSW

Amy Morin, LCSW could never have guess that one viral blog post could lead to a national book deal!

Today, we continue with our series "The Power of Online Presence." Amy Morin is an LSCW specializing in adolescent depression, anxiety, and behavior disorders. Her now famous article "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do" has been viewed millions of times and recently was made into a book. Learn more about what Amy does to build her online presence.

1) When and how did you first start putting time and effort into maintaining a strong online presence?

I started blogging a couple of years ago. Initially, I set out to create a simple blog that would attract people to my website. Then over time, I began getting paid to write articles for other websites and media outlets. I started to realize how important social media was to getting noticed online.

2) Please describe what social platforms you currently use. 

I use Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I use them all to share articles, quotes, and other newsworthy information.

3) About how much time do you devote to your online presence? How do you balance it with your other work responsibilities?  

My online activities have essentially become another job for me. I write articles for other therapists or provide content for college websites, etc. The two biggest sites I write for are About.com and Forbes. As a freelance writer, I can decide which jobs I want to accept and which ones I want to turn down. I spend maybe 30 minutes each day sharing those articles and other information on social media. Fortunately, having a smartphone makes it easy to use social media wherever I am, so I find that it really doesn't take up too much of my spare time. If I have an extra couple of minutes here or there, I can easily connect on social media.

4) What kinds of things do you use to inspire your content creation; what do you write about?

I mainly write about parenting teens and child discipline on About.com. I write about psychological aspects of business on Forbes. I never know when an article idea will come to me, so I keep a notebook handy and am always jotting down my ideas. Sometimes I interview other people, and that often spurs new ideas for me to write about in the future.

 5) How do you best balance personal and professional in your online activities? Please give examples.

I mostly keep my personal and professional social media activities separate. I use Twitter and my professional Facebook page to promote my articles, and I have a personal Facebook page that I reserve for close friends and family.

6) What is some tangible evidence that your online presence has grown your business? 

I live in a rural area, so my online activities don’t necessarily attract new clients for me. Instead, my online presence provides new income streams for me altogether. I generate enough revenue through writing and speaking that I’ve drastically cut back on my therapy practice, and now I only see clients two days per week.

7) What other ways has your strong online presence helped you?

I have been able to land interviews with major print media outlets like NBC.com, Time, Parenting, and Success. I’ve also done national radio shows and have appeared on news programs like Fox News and Glenn Beck. People discover me through online searches, and I’m often invited for speaking engagements.

Last year, I wrote an article on mental strength that went viral and received millions of page views. A writer at Forbes picked it up, and the article attracted almost 10 million more views. Not long after, I was contacted by a literary agent who suggested I write a book. I was offered a book deal with William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins), and my book is scheduled to hit the shelves in January of 2015.

8) What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered creating and maintaining your online presence?

The internet is constantly changing. What is considered good practice one year is outdated and can even lead to search engine penalties the next year. It’s been a challenge to try and keep up with the latest changes to ensure that the content I write gets discovered and shared on social media.

 How have you overcome those challenges?

 I spend time each week educating myself about the recent online changes. That means reading about the latest social media trends and actively engaging in conversations with other people about strategies to maintain a strong online presence.

 9) What tips or resources can you recommend to help therapists who are new to the online world of blogging, social media, SEO, etc.?

I recommend taking it one step at a time. Initially, the online world can seem quite confusing and overwhelming. But compared to the DSM and the insurance world, blogging and social media are relatively easy to navigate. There are lots of basic tutorials for people looking to get started. Focus on one strategy at a time, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Amy Morin, LCSW 

Website: www.amymorinlcsw.com

Visit her Facebook Page

Follow Amy on Twitter

Get practice tips and blog updates in your inbox. Sign up for the Private Practice Toolbox Newsletter here.

Join my Private Practice Toolbox Facebook group and connect with nearly 2000 therapists around the globe in 2 simple steps: 1) Click request to join the group & 2) Fill out this brief questionnaire before you'll be added to the group.

Need help blogging? Join my ongoing therapist blog challenge!

4 Ways to Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

More and more people are using their phones to search the internet.  By optimizing your online content for mobile devices, your clients can more efficiently access the information and services your therapy practice provides.  

It has been said that 2014 is the year of the mobile.  People are increasingly accessing online material from their phone, so it’s important that providers are aware that their content is being viewed through multiple channels.  But there are unique challenges that come along with this trend:  a website or blog can appear dramatically different on an iPhone or Android than on a computer screen.  Different features can get warped or skewed on a mobile device.  Thankfully, there are ways to make online content more efficient and accessible for cell-phone users.

Here are 4 ways to optimize your website and online content for mobile devices:

1)  Make a Separate Mobile Site

If you own a smartphone, you are probably familiar with how certain sites offer a version specific for phones.  For example, Facebook has a separate application (a cell-phone app) for mobile users.  It has slight modifications to make it easier to use than the normal site would be from such a small screen, but the general capability is still there.  Creating a separate mobile site will certainly require some tech-savvy skills, so as your therapy practice develops, you may want to consider hiring a web-developer to help you navigate some of the trickier aspects of web design.

2)  Simplify

The mobile version of your site should be very, very simple.  Clean, white space will help viewers not get overwhelmed by too many features.  Not everyone on the main version of your site should be displayed for cell phones users.  Using drop-down menus can help eliminate unnecessary distractions.

3)  Emphasize Prominent Information

Once you’ve decided what to cut out, you need to decide what elements of your original site to keep for your mobile site.  The name of your therapy practice, contact information, and a photo or logo should be very clearly displayed.  If someone has to hunt to find key information, he/she will likely exit your site very soon.  Emphasize your most important message in a clear and concise way.

4)  Provide Links to the Full Site

Although someone may first come across your online content while using a phone, users are more likely to fully interact and take advantage of services through the original site.  Remember that the mobile version is meant to serve as a mini format of your main website or blog.  The full site is the main attraction and ultimately where you want your viewers to go. Make sure to provide a link to redirect viewers to your full site.  

Do you have a mobile version of your website or blog?

How can you use these tips to make your online content more accessible for mobile users?

Get practice tips and blog updates in your inbox. Sign up for the Private Practice Toolbox Newsletter here

Join my Private Practice Toolbox Facebook group and connect with nearly 2000 therapists around the globe in 2 simple steps: 1) Click request to join the group & 2) Fill out this brief questionnaire before you'll be added to the group.

Sources:

1)  Photo (c) Canstock Photo ID:  13124395

2)  "9 Tips for Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Users"