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Renee Leff, J.D., LMFT
Creativity and Madness
Ethics Workshop
July/August, 2014
Distinguishing Telepsychology, Social Media, and Coaching
From: Mrianda Palmer, LMFT in CA. (zynnme.com)
Telepsychology
In CA, Business and Profession Code 4982 speaks to technologies not to be used to
promote personal relationships but only as a tool to promote an ethical business
relationships. Telepsychology is psychotherapy, via electronic and technological
venues. There are important legal and ethical guidelines to be followed when using
technology. (Reference the American Psychological Association’s website: ‘Eight
Ethical Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology). A therapist who wants to use
Telelpsychology is limited by state license requirements to practicing within the
state, at least in CA. CA, also, no longer requires written consent for therapist and
patient to do telepsychology, so the old telemedicine consent form no longer needs
to be signed, but that form does contain important information about the ethical
issues that can arise. There are still complaints made to Boards about unethical
therapist telepsychology behavior, ad they are followed up upon. One Board
investigation revealed 97 phone calls made from a therapist to a patient.
Coaching, on the other hand, requires no state license and can be practiced
interstate and expands across state lines. It is unethical for a therapist to change
names and call himself a coach in order to do therapy across state lines.
Social Media , for psychotherapists, is professionally used as a community based
presentation and is an excellent venue to grow one’s business. The presentation
should be professional, designed to target the population the therapist desires, with
no-nonsense talk. The purpose for a therapist to use social media is that it is a
mechanism to draw people to a professional who can be of benefit to them.
However, cautious, informed scrutiny and expertise must be used to prevent the
blurring of social and professional boundaries as well as breaches in confidentiality.
While it is quite possible to enjoy and enhance the therapeutic practice by using
Social Media and Telepsychology, it is important to obtain information and
assistance with experts in the field on how to protect his/her client and herself from
inadvertent malpractice. It is essential to know where ‘private’ and ‘public’ rights
begin and end.
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Renee Leff
Creativity and Madness
Ethics Workshop
July/August, 2014
Distinguishing Social Media (Miranda Palmer,con’t)
Common Questions:
1. How is the line between private and public drawn?
 Sometimes therapists assume their Facebook posts are private, when
they are actually public. They may inadvertently post private
information, not understanding that their security settings were not
posted properly.
2. Can having friends post photos on line help or hurt a therapist?
 A friend posted a picture of me in a Halloween costume from many
years ago, with a red cup in my hand. She posted it on twitter. While I
know I was sober, I would NEVER have posted that picture publicly. It
showed too much cleavage, and the ‘red cup’ gives a certain
impression- no matter what is in the cup.
My friend, not being a therapist, was quick to pull it down, when I
expressed my concerns. She hadn’t really ‘thought it out” when she
posted. A friend could also post a fabuous picture of how awesome
you are, and what a great therapist you are, and that could bring you
clients. However, it might be tricky, depending on how close the
referral is to your friend.
Keely Kolmes, Psy.D: http://drkkolmes.com
Friending: I do not accept friend requests from current or former clients on any
social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) I believe that adding clients as
friends or contacts on these sites can compromise confidentiality and privacy. It
may also blur the boundaries of a therapeutic relationship.
Fanning: As of 4/14/10, I deleted my Facebook Page after concluding that the
potential risks of maintaining such a Page outweigh any potential gains. Blogs are
posted on my website.
Interacting: Please do not use phone text messaging or messaging on Social
Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to contact me. These sites
are not secure an may compromise client confidentiality. The best way to reach me
between sessions is via phone, and direct email is ok for quick administrative
changes, such as changing appointment times..
Email: I prefer using email only to arrange or modify appointments. Please do not
email me content related to therapy, as email is not completely secure or
confidential.
For more from these knowledgeable psychotherapists, refer to their websites.