4 Tips for Using Social Media Responsibly to Market Your Practice

As a behavioral health professional, working with highly personal and sensitive information is an inherent part of your job. So, when it comes to determining how to market your practice, the question inevitably comes up: Is it okay to market your practice on social media?

The short answer: Yes, but always keep HIPAA compliance as your top priority.

Of the entire American population, 69% participate in at least one social network, and a whopping 68% of American adults use Facebook. Major social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Pinterest and Instagram can be tremendous tools for marketing your practice to a wider audience, even while fulfilling your responsibility to protect patient data.

Although it's crucial to note that social media platforms are not HIPAA-compliant channels, you don't need to avoid using social tools to market your practice. With a strong social media presence, you can increase awareness of your practice, get more traffic to your website, and ultimately attract more clients. The four tips below can help you use social media responsibly and maintain the privacy of your clients.

1. Keep your personal and professional profiles separate

Distancing your personal life from your professional life not only allows you to provide focused, quality content that your followers are more likely to enjoy but also helps to protect the confidentiality of your relationships with your clients.

To use Facebook as an example, create a Page rather than a personal Profile on Facebook to market your practice. 'Liking' a Page for a business or organization on Facebook is less intimate than submitting a friend request - while a friend request requires a mutual acknowledgement of a relationship, anyone can 'like' a Page. For this reason (and to maintain your own privacy), we recommend declining friend requests from your clients on your personal Facebook profile. Similarly, even if you have personal accounts on Twitter, Instagram, or elsewhere, be sure to create an entirely separate account solely for your business.

Separating your personal and professional profiles also allows you to maintain greater control over how people can interact with you online. Take advantage of each channel's configurable privacy settings and carefully select how other users can connect with you. For instance, on your personal Facebook profile, consider updating your privacy settings to limit the visibility of your posts to your friends only. On your professional profile, you may want to limit Facebook users from posting public content on your Page. Or, if a user tags your business in a post or comment, perhaps you want to require administrative approval before the post is published. Whatever you decide, the client-therapist boundaries you employ in the office should be the same as those that you practice online.

2. Position yourself as an authority

Online social channels are a great outlet to provide commentary on a wide range of industry-related topics without being specific about any client-therapist interactions. The content you share on social media should allow your followers to get to know you professionally and see you as an expert.

Publish content that is related to your specialty and that your clients may be interested in, but take care to keep your posts general - your content should never be specific to a client. For instance, you could share an informational article about the impact of seasons on mental health, post an interesting study on the relationship between anxiety and pets, or even share your own pertinent writing. Posting general, relevant, and useful content helps position you as a trustworthy source of information and, as a result, a trustworthy clinician.

3. Never discuss sensitive information

The most crucial thing to understand when integrating social media into your therapy practice is that social media, including direct or personal messages, is not a HIPAA-compliant form of communication. If a client publishes personal information on any of your practice's profiles, recognize that this does not permit you to talk freely about their HIPAA-protected information or even acknowledge your clinical relationship with the client. You are still responsible for whatever you post online.

Never discuss any potentially private information on social media, even if you remove the client's name from your writing. Stay focused on positioning yourself as an authority, and keep the content centered on your profession and whatever your followers will find useful.

4. Monitor activity on your accounts

Depending on which social media channels you choose and how you configure your settings, your followers may have an open forum to post whatever they want. Keep an eye on your social channels to make sure that all content is accurate, respectful, and, of course, suitable for public access. If you encounter anything questionable, delete the post and follow up with the author of the post privately.

You may also decide to develop Terms of Use for your social media accounts to include in your intake paperwork. The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics advises professionals to explain the benefits, risks, and boundaries of social media use to clients as part of the informed consent process. State your appropriate use policies including privacy expectations and limitations. Establish boundaries by defining the purpose of the channel, and explain that the site is not to be used for therapeutic or clinical advice. Your Terms of Use can also document that you do not accept friend requests from clients on your personal profiles as a matter of policy.

Your interactions on social media are certainly more visible than your interactions in the office, but this doesn't have to preclude you from taking advantage of social media marketing. Remember: your goal on social media is to build an audience, not to provide therapy. Cultivate your professional social media presence with close attention and careful thought. Keep your content general and professional, and carefully plan how you want to connect with your audience. A strong, mindful social media presence can help you engage with your followers and give a health boost to your marketing efforts.