Introduction
Dr. Jamison has joined a group practice of psychologists who have asked her to develop her biography to post with her picture on their social media page. They have asked Dr. Jamison to reach out to her former clients from her last employer to solicit testimonials. Dr. Jamison is very concerned about this request. She was unaware that the group practice had a social media page. When she visits the page, she sees several client testimonials for other psychologists in practice, some of which appear to reveal identifying information about the clients. This essay aims to examine the importance of confidentiality and code of conduct in professional psychology as well as determine the issues concerning this practice group and suggest ways of improvement.
Main body
Social media sites are crucial in modern-day society because they provide people with an efficient means of communication. However, such Internet resources store information about the users utilizing them. The collected data may contain private information that is not supposed to be seen by the public. Given the fact that anonymity is one of the main characteristics of the Internet, it puts users in unequal conditions. People who post their private information online may experience feelings of insecurity and anxiety. Needless to say, using personal data as an advertisement is wrong in many ways; however, it is especially detrimental when it comes to professional psychologists, who are to abide by the code of ethics (Ashton & Sullivan, 2018). This lack of respect for the client’s privacy is the polar opposite of what psychologists strive to achieve. People seek mental assistance when they do not have anybody else to support them, or they want to hear advice from a professional. Even if the treatment was successful, it is not ethical to use it as an example to persuade more customers to use psychological services.
There is one proper way of reacting for Dr. Jamison in this situation if she is a professional with moral standards. The solution is to inform the group that their advertisement strategy is not only flawed but also illegal (Moore & Frye, 2019). In the USA’s case, the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act is a federal law that regulates the collection of health data and prohibits such use of private information. This crime’s responsibility ranges from fines to imprisonment; hence, it is not beneficial for the office to risk potential lawsuits.
However, it is possible to improve their advertisement strategy without using personal data. If they intend to describe their professionalism and support it with evidence, they should instead give thorough descriptions of their achievements in the field of medicine. Even though this type of data may not be comprehendible by an average citizen, it will still give plenty of insight into the group’s staff’s accomplishments. Listing thorough descriptions of their services, as well as success rates of their methods, would also make their group more attractive to clients. Furthermore, if they insist on using clients’ feedback, they could omit personal information from the social media page and leave only positive reviews of their treatment outcomes. However, if they still want to show their methods working in real conditions, they could use clients as examples but replace their real names. This change will give clients a feeling of security while making the effectiveness of treatment seem more reliable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using personal information in advertisements in any field of business is not only unethical but also unprofessional. The benefits of this strategy are too insignificant to be considered; however, the numerous flaws and questionable legality make it suboptimal at best. There are multiple ways of improving the current strategy, such as thorough descriptions of staff’s qualifications and services and removal/replacement of personal information. These improvements will help the group expand its client base and make its business more trustworthy.
References
Ashton, K., & Sullivan, A. (2018). Ethics and confidentiality for psychologists in academic health centers. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 25(3), 240–249.
Moore, W., & Frye, S. A. (2019). A review of the HIPAA, part 2: Limitations, rights, violations, and role for the imaging technologist. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 48(1), 17–23.