Megan Story Chavez, Ph.D., LAMFT

Ut License: 11275632-3904

This document outlines my office policies related to use of Social Media. Please read it to understand how I conduct myself on the Internet as a mental health professional and how you can expect me to respond to various interactions that may occur between us on the Internet.

If you have any questions about anything within this document, I encourage you to bring them up when we meet. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be times when I need to update this policy.  

FRIENDING

I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, Personal Instagram Account, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it.  

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION

I keep an Instagram for my professional practice to allow people to share my posts and resources with other users. All of the information shared on this page is available on my website. IF YOU ARE A CLIENT THAT i WORK WITH IN PRACTICE, YOU CAN CHOSE TO view my Instagram account and follow AS IT IS NOT A PRIVATE ACCOUNT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THAT ACCOUNT KNOW THAT OTHER USERS OF INSTAGRAM CAN SEE WHO MY FOLLOWERS ARE. MAKE THE EXCELLENT TO FOLLOW THAT ACCOUNT AND/OR SHARE THE CONTENT THERE creates a greater likelihood of your compromised client confidentiality/PRIVACY. In addition, the AAMFT CODE OF ETHICS Association’s prohibits my soliciting testimonials from clients. I have no expectation that you as a client will want to follow my blog or Twitter stream. However, if you use an easily recognizable name on Instagram and I happen to notice that you’ve followed me there, we may briefly discuss it and its potential impact on our working relationship. Note that I will not follow you back. I do not follow current or former clients on ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. My reasoning is that I believe casual viewing of clients’ online content outside of the therapy hour can create confusion in regard to whether it’s being done as a part of your treatment or to satisfy my personal curiosity. In addition, viewing your online activities without your consent and without our explicit arrangement towards a specific purpose could potentially have a negative influence on our working relationship. If there are things from your online life that you wish to share with me, please bring them into our sessions where we can view and explore them together, during the therapy hour. Please do not use SMS (mobile phone text messaging) or messaging on Social Networking sites such as INSTAGRAM or LinkedIn to contact me. These sites are not secure and I may not read these messages in a timely fashion. Do not use Wall postings, @replies, or other means of engaging with me in public online if we have an already established client/therapist relationship. Engaging with me this way could compromise your confidentiality. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become a part of your legal medical record and will need to be documented and archived in your chart. If you need to contact me between sessions, the best way to do so is by phone. Direct email at MEGANRSTORY.MFT@GMAIL.COM is second best for quick, administrative issues such as changing appointment times. See the email section below for more information regarding email interactions.  

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY DISCLAIMERS

ALL CONTENT PROVIDED ON MY WEBSITE AND INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT ARE NOT REPLACEMENT FOR THERAPY AND ARE NOT CONSIDERED PSYCHOTHERAPY OR TREATMENT. the INFORMATION PROVIDED DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PATIENT-THERAPIST RELATIONSHIPS. REMEMBER THAT IF YOU ARE A CURRENT OR FORMER CLIENT POSTING, LIKING, OR SHARING CONTENT MAY RISK YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY. i AM NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE ANSWERS ON YOUR SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES OR SITUATIONS. my POSTS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVICE. all INFORMATION SHARED IS GENERAL INFORMATION INTENDED ONLY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. please CALL YOUR LOCAL 24-HOUR HOTLINE OR 911 IF YOU ARE SUICIDAL OR IN NEED OF EMERGENCY SERVICES. additionally CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER REGARDING ADVICE, SUPPORT, OR GUIDANCE ON YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.

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 next meet.  

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.