The 21st Century has brought innovations that require therapists to consider confidentiality, record keeping, and boundary controversies especially in this time of online therapy during the covid epidemic. This workshop will address personal versus professional website issues, reputation protection (Yelp), teletherapy and working across state lines in a pandemic, specific informed consent for telehealth, and updates on proper internet record keeping. Literature updates, expert opinion, and relevant ethics codes will be discussed.
Part 1:
- Definitions and terminology for telepsychology
- What does the APA say about working across state lines?
- Psychotherapists as “essential” workers?
- Providing teletherapy across state lines
- Working across state lines in the time of covid
Part 2:
- Third-party rule
- Handling social media
- Social media policy
- Including Texts and emails in patient records
- Ethical issues related to patient-therapist online searches
- Barriers to telepsychology
Part 3:
- Statistics and prevalence of internet users
- Research on the use of the internet by psychotherapists
- Confidentiality issues
- Recommendations for therapists who use the internet
- How to protect your patients
- How to protect your practice
- Reputation protection
- Legal and ethical issues
- Yelp other online issues
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify ethical issues related to when psychotherapists can practice across state lines.
- Review an informed consent form for online therapy.
- Understand the importance of the “Third-party rule” in the age of technology.