Interactions  

If you need to contact me between sessions, the best way to do so is by  phone. Direct email at ​drtwilmoth@yahoo.com​ is second best for quick,  administrative issues such as changing appointment times. See the email  section below for more information regarding email interactions. Use of  Search Engines It is NOT a regular part of my practice to search for  clients on Google or Facebook or other search engines. Extremely rare  exceptions may be made during times of crisis. If I have a reason to  suspect that you are in danger and you have not been in touch with me  via our usual means (coming to appointments, phone, or email) there  might be an instance in which using a search engine (to find you, find  someone close to you, or to check on your recent status updates) becomes  necessary as part of ensuring your welfare. These are unusual situations  and if I ever resort to such means, I will fully document it and discuss it  with you when we meet again.    

Texting should only be used in case of Emergency or if you are  running late for your already established appointment.     

You may find my psychology practice on sites such as Yelp,  Healthgrades, Yahoo Local, Bing, or other places which list businesses.  Some of these sites include forums in which users rate their providers and  add reviews. Many of these sites comb search engines for business listings  and automatically add listings regardless of whether the business has  added itself to the site. If you should find my listing on any of these sites,  please know that my listing is NOT a request for a testimonial, rating, or  endorsement from you as my client. The American Psychological  Association’s Ethics Code states under Principle 5.05 that it is unethical  for psychologists to solicit testimonials: “Psychologists do not solicit  testimonials from current therapy clients/patients or other persons who  because of their particular circumstances are vulnerable to undue  influence.”  

Of course, you have a right to express yourself on any site you wish. But  due to confidentiality, I cannot respond to any review on any of these  sites whether it is positive or negative. I urge you to take your own privacy  as seriously as I take my commitment of confidentiality to you. You should  also be aware that if you are using these sites to communicate indirectly  with me about your feelings about our work, there is a good possibility  that I may never see it. If we are working together, I hope that you will  bring your feelings and reactions to our work directly into the therapy  process. This can be an important part of therapy, even if you decide we  are not a good fit. None of this is meant to keep you from sharing that  you are in therapy with me wherever and with whomever you like.  Confidentiality means that I cannot tell people that you are my client and  my Ethics Code prohibits me from requesting testimonials. But you are  more than welcome to tell anyone you wish that I’m your therapist or how  you feel about the treatment I provided to you, in any forum of your  choosing. If you do choose to write something on a business review site, I  hope you will keep in mind that you may be sharing personally revealing  information in a public forum. I urge you to create a pseudonym that is 

not linked to your regular email address or friend networks for your own  privacy and protection. If you feel I have done something harmful or  unethical and you do not feel comfortable discussing it with me, you can  always contact the Board of Psychology, which oversees licensing, and  they will review the services I have offered.    

Location-Based Services   

If you used location-based services on your mobile phone, you may wish to  be aware of the privacy issues related to using these services. I do not  place my practice as a check-in location on various sites such as  Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, etc. However, if you have GPS tracking  enabled on your device, it is possible that others may surmise that you  are a therapy client due to regular check-ins at my office on a weekly  basis. Please be aware of this risk if you are intentionally “checking in,”  from my office or if you have a passive LBS app enabled on your phone.  Email I prefer using email only to arrange or modify appointments.  Please do not email me content related to your therapy sessions, as email  is not completely secure or confidential. If you choose to communicate  with me by email, be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of  your and my Internet service providers. While it is unlikely that someone  will be looking at these logs, they are, in theory, available to be read by  the system administrator(s) of the Internet service provider. You should  also know that any emails I receive from you and any responses that I  send to you become a part of your legal record.     

Conclusion   

Thank you for taking the time to review my Social Media Policy. If you  have questions or concerns about any of these policies and procedures or  regarding our potential interactions on the Internet, do bring them to my  attention so that we can discuss them.       

© Keely Kolmes, Psy.D. – Social Media Policy – 4/26/10