Confidentiality Principles and Ethical Standards

FRIENDING POLICY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The professional does not accept friend requests from current or former clients on social media. Doing so compromises confidentiality and blurs the boundaries of the coaching relationship.

POSTING AND SUBSCRIBING TO THE PROFESSIONAL’S CONTENT

The professional shares articles on their website and social media but does not expect clients to follow their blog or social channels. Moreover, they should never encourage such actions.
Confidentiality is the priority. You are free to follow the content openly, but for greater privacy, it is safer to use an anonymous account, an RSS feed, or a private Twitter list.

MUTUAL FOLLOWING AND ONLINE INTERACTION

The professional does not follow clients in return. Viewing clients’ online content outside of sessions may disrupt the working relationship.

POLICY ON MESSAGING THE PROFESSIONAL

Clients are discouraged from messaging the professional via SMS, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. These channels lack confidentiality.
Instead, use secure email providers such as ProtonMail, TutaNota, Mailfence, or Posteo.
For messaging, choose apps that support end-to-end encryption (E2E) or allow enabling it: Telegram, Skype, Viber, etc.

SEARCHING FOR CLIENT INFORMATION ONLINE

The professional does not search for information about clients using Google, Facebook, or other search engines. Exceptions may apply only in extremely rare cases where there is reason to believe the client is in danger.

POLICY ON CLIENT REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

According to the BCACC (British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors) standards: “Professionals should never request testimonials or endorsements, directly or indirectly.” (BCACC Code of Ethical Conduct, Clinical Practice Standards, 2011).
Clients have the right to leave reviews on public sites, even if doing so compromises their own confidentiality. However, due to confidentiality obligations, the professional cannot respond to any reviews, whether positive or negative. It’s more appropriate to bring feedback and emotional responses directly into the coaching process. This can be a meaningful part of the work, even if you choose to end the relationship.

Confidentiality means the professional cannot disclose that you are a client. You may waive your confidentiality at your own discretion.
If you decide to leave a review, it is best to do so anonymously, using a pseudonym that is not connected to your email or social media accounts, to better protect your privacy.

Adapted under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Originally written by Keely Kolmes, Psy.D.