This document outlines Strong for Life’s social media policies. The following information will help you understand how we conduct ourselves as mental health professionals on the Internet. It will also help you understand how we respond to online interactions. Any questions regarding this document should be directed to your Strong for Life therapist at your next appointment. In light of the rapid advancement of technology and the ever-changing Internet, we may need to update this policy from time to time. Therefore, it is recommended that you return to it on a regular basis.
We do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former therapy clients on any social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, etc). Adding clients as friends or contacts may compromise your confidentiality and our privacy. It may also obfuscate the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship.
Strong for life and its therapists have Facebook accounts. Mostly, we use these accounts to stay abreast of trends that interest us and to inform the public about upcoming events and courses. To stay updated on Strong for Life’s latest events and courses, feel free to follow our Strong for Life Facebook page at https://web.facebook.com/strongforlife100/. However, we are not personally active on social media platforms and do not expect that you, as a client, will be following our personal social media profiles. It should be noted, however, that we will not follow you back, as your privacy is of utmost importance to us. We only connect with other health professionals on various social media platforms, and we do not connect with current or former clients on social media. In our opinion, casual viewing of clients’ online content outside the course of therapy can create confusion as to whether such viewing is being conducted as part of your treatment or out of interest. Moreover, viewing your online activities without your consent and without our explicit arrangement could potentially be detrimental to our working relationship. During your sessions, feel free to bring things from your online life that you wish to discuss with your Strong for Life therapist.
We prefer email contact over WhatsApp or messaging on social media platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn. These messenger apps and social media platforms are not secure or reliable, which may prevent us from reading these messages in a timely manner. If we have already established a therapeutic relationship, we request that you refrain from posting messages on our Facebook walls, engaging with us through @replies, or engaging with us in any other public manner, as this could compromise your confidentiality. Furthermore, this may create the possibility that these exchanges become part of your medical record and must be documented and archived.
If you need to contact us between sessions, our best contact method is by phone or email. Alternatively, to message us securely, we recommend Signal, a private messaging app where messages are encrypted and hidden from the service. Simply download the app, register, and you’ll be able to contact us. Compared to WA, it’s simpler to use.
For quick administrative issues such as changing appointment times, please email us directly!
Juanitte Pieterse maintains a LinkedIn profile page for professional reasons. You are welcome to view her LinkedIn profile, however clients of her Strong for Life Integrative Therapy practice cannot be added as contacts. We believe, having clients as connections increases the likelihood of compromising client’s privacy. As a result, it is best to be explicit in stating that the contact list on her all her social media profile pages does not contain client names. Additionally, the HPCSA’ s Ethics Code prohibits practitioners from soliciting testimonials (endorsements on LinkedIn) from therapy-clients. As far as we are concerned, the Endorsement feature on LinkedIn is a promotional function and, therefore, the same as a testimonial. As a result of this function, it may be implied that our practice is publicly endorsed.
Searching for existing therapy-clients online is not part of our regular practice, however, in times of crisis exceptions may be made. In the event that we have reason to suspect that you are in danger despite not having contacted us by our usual method (coming to appointments, phone, or email), we may need to search for you, find someone nearby, or check on your latest status updates so that we can ensure your safety. The situations described above are unusual, and we will document the situation and discuss it with you at our next meeting.
The HPCSA’ s Ethics Code prohibits psychologists, counsellors, and psychotherapists from soliciting testimonials and endorsements from clients, as their specific circumstances might render them vulnerable to undue influence. Of course, it is your right to express yourself on any site you choose. However, due to confidentiality concerns, we cannot respond to any reviews posted online. It is imperative that you protect your own privacy as seriously as we protect our commitment of confidentiality towards you. It is also important to keep in mind that if you are using social media to contact us indirectly about our work, we may never see your message.
During our work together, we encourage you to bring your thoughts and feelings directly into your discussions with your Strong for Life therapist. An important element of therapy is to discuss your concerns with your therapist, even if you decide that the particular therapeutic relationship will not work for you. In no way should any of this restrict your right to disclose that you are in therapy with me wherever you go and with whomever you please. However, confidentiality means that, we at Strong for Life Integrative Therapy, cannot tell others that you are our therapy-client. However, you are more than welcome to share with anyone you wish that we are your therapists or how you feel about the treatment you received from us, in any forum of your choice. If you decide to post something on an online review site, please keep in mind that you may be sharing personal information. It is recommended that you create a pseudonym that is not linked to your regular email address or friend network to protect your privacy.
Strong for Life Integrative Therapy prefers to arrange or modify appointments via email. Please do not send us content related to your therapy sessions via email, as it is not entirely secure and confidential. In the event that you choose to communicate with us via email, please be aware that all emails will be retained in the logs of both your Internet service provider and ours. While these logs are unlikely to be reviewed by anyone, they may, in theory, be viewed by the Internet service provider’s system administrator(s). Additionally, all email correspondence between us is kept on your therapeutic file.
We appreciate your time in reviewing our Social Media Policy. If you have questions or concerns regarding any of these policies or procedures or about our potential Internet interactions, we would appreciate hearing from you.