Digital and Social Media for Psychologist: Current Issues and Ethical Dilemmas

By Keely Kolmes, PsyD

Psychologists, whether they are in independent practice, working in an agency setting, or are teaching and supervision, are struggling more and more with issues related to their own, their trainees', and their clients' online access and availability.  Zur and Donner (2009) wrote about the accessibility of online information.  the compared unintentional vs. intentional disclosures clinicians may make during the psychotherapy hour and then compared these with the unintentional disclosures that psychotherapists might make available on the Internet when clients seek out information about providers.  They noted that the motivations could range from mild curiosity to criminal stalking, and they encouraged clinicians to maintain awareness of what information is made available about them.

The entire article is here.

Five Ethical Mistakes To Avoid with Clients on the Internet

This is a brief overview of common mistakes to avoid with online psychotherapy.  If nothing else, this short video should help a psychologist contemplating providing online psychotherapy services.





From the Australian Counseling Association.