Social Media Statement

I engage with social media privately and professionally. There is a chance if you use social media yourself you may see some of my online activity. 

You can choose to view my posts without liking or commenting and that way no one, including  myself, will know you have seen my posts. You should bear in mind, that if you like or comment on my page, these can be seen by anyone who visits my page. 

I have colleagues, family and friends who follow me on social media, and I will never identify you as a client.  

I will reply to messages and comments on my posts but I will not engage in counselling or psychotherapy on social media. In this instance, I would normally invite you to message me directly. 

I won’t accept friend requests from clients to my personal accounts as this may blur the boundaries of our professional relationship.  

If you have any questions about this social media statement or policy please do not hesitate to get in touch.  

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Social Media Policy  

This is my social media policy/guidelines to ensure that I adhere to ethical protocols  when posting or engaging online. These are my reflections on how I aim to behave  online and expect clients to engage. 

Keeping my professional and personal life as separate as possible 

My social media accounts for family and friends are separate. They are locked down  and there is no way for clients to access these sites. I am aware that these still may be  easily traced so I will ensure to act responsibly and be mindful of my profile and cover  pictures. 

I will have accounts that clients can access and that are open to the public. I will never  share pictures of my family or friends on these pages. These pages will be used to  market my business and to post things that I think will be useful for clients. 

Manage my privacy settings. 

I will continually manage my privacy settings as it is not unusual for clients to look for  individuals online. 

Check and manage my profile. 

I will check my profile regularly. I will ask friends/family to periodically check it as well to  ensure that issues and information are accurate and/or privacy is still maintained. 

I will also aim to keep my profile picture as up-to-date as I can to ensure clients can  recognise me from my picture when we meet. 

I will also consider the tone of my posts and comments to accurately represent how I  communicate in a world that is not social media. 

How I communicate online 

I will avoid using language that other people might consider inappropriate or offensive. I  will always aim to be polite, respectful and kind. I will aim to post only uplifting posts. I  will always consider how I may be impacting clients through how I communicate. Clients  may build a picture of me as a therapist through the content I display and the language I 

use online. It is important that the content accurately represents who I am and what I  offer. Anything I post will be considered in the context of my professionalism. 

I am aware that all social media comments are permanent. Even if I delete them, they’re  recordable, shareable and often searchable. I am aware that what I post could be  shared and read by anyone and could be taken out of context.  

Maintaining appropriate boundaries with clients 

I will maintain appropriate boundaries with clients. I will never accept friend requests  from clients, and I will never identify anyone as a client. I will not engage in counselling  online and will encourage clients to message me privately if they feel they need to share  on my social media pages. 

It’s my choice if I want to respond 

I am not obliged to engage in any posts or comments. It is my choice to engage. I can  ignore tagged posts too. I will not be under any pressure to respond. Whilst my follower  numbers are low, I am happy to engage with clients to show my appreciation for them  engaging with me. This may change as followers grow. 

I will consider my clients’ feelings 

I will consider carefully the posts I share. I will consider my clients’ feelings before I  share. Examples of this might be sharing of feeling joyous at Christmas, as lots of  clients struggle at this time of year. Clients may be affected by posts in unexpected  ways. Some posts may be misinterpreted by clients. I will do my best to be considerate  of the issues that my clients may be experiencing. 

I will be mindful of the instant nature of social media 

Social media is fast-paced and constantly changes. I will aim to avoid making  comments in the heat of the moment and at times of frustration or anger. I feel it is ok to  disagree with what people say but I will not actively seek these posts out. I will also be  extremely aware of how I express myself and the language I use to do this. I am aware  that social media sites can make it easier to engage in behaviour that may not be  acceptable. 

Think about my motivation for posting 

My motivation for posting will always be to promote my services and to encourage or  connect positively with clients.

Negative situations on social media 

The negative situations that I am aware of are  

● Bullying 

● Discrimination 

● Abuse 

● Prejudice 

● Trolling 

● Pile on 

Examples of these are spreading rumours, harassment, intimidation, putting up false  profiles, stalking, offensive remarks, and irrelevant comments that aim to provoke. A  pile-on is usually targeted abuse by many people, often coordinated to ensure  maximum impact.  

How I will take care of myself when responding to negativity online 

I can ignore situations rather than engage. I can turn off notifications. I can take a break  from social media until the situation calms down or is resolved.  

I will aim to regulate my time on social media. I will also engage fully in the world  outside the online one and be around friends and family who love me. I will disconnect  when possible so that I am not consumed by what is happening online.  

Things I can do when things get serious. 

● Block individuals 

● Record when things are happening 

● Take screenshots with dates and times if possible 

● Contact the relevant people – Facebook, Instagram 

● Contact the police 

● Take legal advice and/or action