Should Therapist Facebook Business Pages Allow Check Ins?
So, you are a therapist who is comfortable with technology, or someone convinced to get a Facebook business page. What about Facebook Places and how does it work with your clients? Is it even ethical?
You might be asking yourself questions like:
What is Facebook Places?
Can I turn off my clients’ ability to check in with me?
Should I turn off clients’ ability to check in with me?
What does it really mean if someone checks in with me?
These are fantastic questions to ask! Let's dive in for a moment.
What Is Facebook Places?
Facebook Places allow people to "check-in" to places. They can choose to tell their friends, their friend's friends, or the whole world where they are going. It can be a fun way to share with friends and family that you have gone to the Opera- or even to find out extended friends are at the same event with you.
This can promote non-profit events, create buzz about businesses, create opportunities for bad people, or just be a way to feed narcissism.
Can I Turn Off Clients’ Ability to Check-In on Facebook Places?
If you have a Facebook Business Page, you don't have as many privacy settings as individuals. You can take your address off of your page- which makes it harder for people to check in via Facebook. However, people can add you as a place! In fact, they can add whatever description they want. A disgruntled employee has been checking in to a local hardware store where she works as "The Threshold of Hell."
Should I Turn Off Clients’ Ability to Check-In with Me?
This is a bigger question. Should we do our best to take away our client's ability to check in? Is that paternalistic? Is it protective? What age group am I working with? If I leave the ability to check in- am I "encouraging" check-ins? Do check-ins help or hurt my business? When did I lose control of what people post about me and my business on the Internet?
While I can't answer all of these questions for you- I can answer the last one. you lost control of what people say about you on the Internet and person-to-person about the time communication and the Internet were developed!
What Does it Really Mean if a Client Checks in With Me?
Great question! Maybe it means we are taking the stigma away from mental health treatment. Maybe people are reaching out in a way that they won't ever get their needs met. Maybe it is people using check-ins to "help you" because of some underlying issue with them or with you.
I wish I had more answers to these questions. I'll be honest- I don't. Having had a Facebook Business Page for quite some time- I haven't run into people checking in to therapy quite yet. And, I currently have my address on Facebook- not because I want people checking in but because I want people to be able to find me.
What do you think? Post your comments, questions, etc. below. I would love to hear what you think!
