Social Media Ethics
1
Social Media and Ethics in
Prevention
Presented by:
Mark McDonald, MS, CRADC, MARS,
CCGC
Ethics
,
What is It???
Why do we need them???
What happens when we don’t follow them???
2
3
What is Ethics?
The professional guidelines that allow us to practice professionally and within a framework to protect our clients as well as ourselves
4
5
Objectives
Distinguish between one's personal and professional activities on the Internet and other social media sites.
Identify the ethical challenges that may arise from engaging in activities on the Internet and other social media sites.
Develop strategies for minimizing risk of ethical violations on the Internet.
Appraise their use of e-mail, record-keeping, and mobile computing devices to prevent confidentiality breaches.
Recognize the need for a social media policy for one's office to address potential boundary issues with clients.
6
7
Some of the underlying assumptions of incorporating ethical issues into practice:
Ethical decision making is a continuous, active process.
Ethical standards are not a cookbook. They may tell you what to do or not to do, BUT not always how.
Each situation is unique. Therefore, it is imperative that all personnel learn how to “think ethically” and how to make sound legal and ethical decisions.
8
• The most complex ethical issues arise in the context of two ethical behaviors that conflict.
For instance, when a counselor wants to respect the privacy and confidentiality of a client, but it is in the client’s best interest for the counselor to contact someone else about his or her care.
• Therapy is conducted by fallible beings, people make mistakes-hopefully, minor ones.
• Sometimes the answers to ethical and legal questions are elusive. Ask a dozen people, and you will likely get twelve different points of view.
9
Statements regarding ethics…
10
Ethics must be practical. Clinicians/
Prevention Specialists confront an almost unimaginable diversity of situations, each with its own shifting questions, demands, and responsibilities.
Every clinician/prevention specialist is unique in important ways. Every consumer is unique in important ways.
11
CAPT Products and
Communication Manager Melanie
Adler.
12
"As substance abuse prevention professionals, we regularly face situations that involve ethics,
Often it's clear how to act ethically, but sometimes it’s not. We’re not always aware of our ethical responsibilities in a given situation, or we allow our emotions to cloud our thinking."
SAMHSA's Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT ) is a national substance abuse prevention training and technical assistance
Modeling ethical behaviors
13
Acting ethically is as much a pro-active as reactive process.
"Ethics are woven through all the work we do.
While the rapid pace of technology may make the thought of jumping on board the social media train feel daunting, a wellconceived plan can help ensure a smooth ride.
14
To develop this plan, you will need to take a step back and think through why and how you intend to use social media to support your prevention efforts.
Once you have a solid plan in place, you can board that train and feel confident that it will take you where you want to go!
15
With the advent of social media,
people increasingly expect opportunities to: comment, share, discuss, and collaborate during their visits to cyberspace.
"Social media is the dominant form and growing nature of online interaction (Katz, 2009)," providing innumerable ways to promote, enhance, and extend your prevention efforts.
16
Social Networks
800 million active users
More than 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day
17
Kate Speck, PhD, MAC, LADC
18
A social media communications plan should include :
19
Step 1. Establish Goals
Step 2. Clarify Roles
Step 3. Develop an Image
Step 4. Select Tools
Step 5. Determine Content
Step 6. Evaluate and Refine Efforts
20
Ethical Framework for the Use of
Social Media by Mental Health
Professionals
A competent practitioner working online will always adhere to at least the following minimum standards and practices in order to be considered to be working in an ethical manner.
Practitioners have a sufficient understanding of their Ethics
Codes and Social Media and can integrate how they relate to professional conduct online.
Practitioners are mindful that Social Media activity can blur the boundaries between personal and professional lives, and they take great care to consider the potential impact of these activities on their professional relationships .
Ethical Responsibilities
21
Autonomy-Fostering the self-determination and freedom of clients/patients to choose their own direction
Beneficence-Promoting good for others
Non-malfeasance-Doing no harm
Justice-Being fair to all, providing equal treatment to all people and working to prevent/eliminate discrimination
Fidelity (be faithful)
22
Social Media Interactions
Practitioners are aware that all messages exchanged with consumers may become a part of the clinical and legal record, even when strictly related to housekeeping issues such as change of contact information or scheduling appointments.
All therapeutic communication should offer encryption security or the equivalent.
Practitioners should define the record according to the laws of their jurisdiction and according to their defined professional scope of practice.
23
Confidentiality
Confidentiality concerns may deter individuals from seeking needed alcohol treatment services
24
Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act (21 U.S.C. 1175)
Section 42 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, Part 2 (CFR)
25
Practice Standards
Alcohol/drug treatment/ prevention specialists
Standards for care (e.g.,
ASAM)
Resources limit access?
26
Factual Information
Empirical support for “facts”
Informed populations (internet and other media sources, public access to scientific reports)
Professional responsibility to be informed
27
Credentialing
Mandated qualifications
Specialization certifications
NAADAC
ICRC
Missouri Credentialing
Board
ATOD
28
29
30
Solutions?
Be proactive and preplan (e.g., develop policies for dealing with social media opportunities)
Consult colleagues
Know relevant policies (e.g., school rules, local laws, ethics codes)
Understand duty to commit consumers who are an acute danger to self or others
Inform consumers BEFORE beginning treatment/referral (informed consent and limitations to confidentiality)
Prevention Dilemma’s
A consumer posts on your web page concerns that they are having problems with substance use…
– What is your response going to be?
– What resources will you refer the to?
– What if they want to move to your personal facebook page?
– How will you protect the consumers rights to confidentiality?
31
Another Dilemma
You have a consumer who attempts to contact you on your personal facebook page…
– Do you accept their request?
– If you do, what are the limits to the contact you will have?
– How will you protect confidentiality?
32
Another????
A student posts on your facebook page that when he gets drunk he becomes violent and hits his girlfriend
– What are you going to do with that information?
– What level of engagement would you have with this student?
33
As a professional….
As a professional and credentialed person anything you pass on will be considered professional direction and there is an accountability for that.
You are in a delicate situation where kids will tell you things they would not tell others, so please inform them and model for them appropriate and healthy limits and behaviors
34
35
Summary: Ethics
Key points to remember:
– “Be good, do good, and above all – do no harm.”
– Distinguish among ethics, morals & legalities.
– Client rights are always foremost.
– Your ethics can greatly impact the quality of client care and the image of the profession.
– Boundary issues start with the small, innocent transgressions.
36
