When setting a policy about your use of social media in clinical practice, which practice is recommended?

• A. Inform the client before performing any search and ideally avoid searching on social media altogether.
• B. Search the client's social media after obtaining consent from law enforcement.
• C. Use the client's social media posts as part of treatment notes without consent.
• D. Keep all social media activity private from the client entirely.

Answer: (A)

When clinicians set a policy about social media use, transparency and boundaries are crucial. Before you search a client’s social media, you should inform them about the intention and scope of any search, and if possible, you should avoid searching altogether. This respects the client’s autonomy and confidentiality, and helps prevent misinterpretation of online content that could threaten the therapeutic relationship. Informing the client sets expectations, invites their input, and reduces the risk of using information that the client didn’t authorize or that is taken out of context.

Relying on law-enforcement consent to search a client’s social media is not appropriate for routine clinical care, because it introduces coercive dynamics and shifts boundaries away from client-centered, voluntary disclosure. Using social media posts as part of treatment notes without consent breaches confidentiality and undermines trust. Keeping all social media activity completely private from the client undermines transparency and collaborative care.

Therefore, the recommended practice is to inform the client before performing any social media search and, ideally, avoid searching social media altogether.