Last updated: April 2, 2021
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC • Madison, Wisconsin • 608.480.8013• kgeiser@anewdawntherapyllc.com
This document outlines A New Dawn Therapy, LLC’s policy related to use of Social Media. Please read it to understand the conduct of A New Dawn Therapy LLC’s as a mental health provider entity and expectations of various interactions that may occur on the Internet. If you have any questions about anything within this document, please contact me. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be times when this policy will update. Please check back on this page to review any policy updates. If you need to contact A New Dawn Therapy, LLC or Katie Geiser, LPC in between sessions, the best way to do so is by phone or email. Please see the email section below for more information regarding email interactions.
Friending/Following/Adding as a Contact
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC as Katie Geiser, LPC maintains an online presence on several social media sites. The username on these sites is ANEWDAWNTHERAPYLLC so that it is clear it is the business’s social media sites. These sites are own and operated by Katie Geiser, LPC. A New Dawn Therapy, LLC does not accept friend or contact requests either from current or former clients on any social networking site. This in accordance to The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) which states: Standard A.5.e. Personal Virtual Relationships With Current Clients: Counselors are prohibited from engaging in a personal virtual relationship with individuals with whom they have a current counseling relationship (e.g., through social and other media). Adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise confidentiality and respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please contact me. A New Dawn Therapy, LLC will not ever knowingly follow current or former clients on social media, although it’s possible that if a pseudonym is used, A New Dawn Therapy, LLC may accidentally follow current or former clients. If this happens, you are welcome to contact me regarding this. The reasons for not following current or former clients on social media are described above. In addition, viewing online activities of current or former clients without explicit consent and without a specific clinical purpose could have potential negative effects on treatment. Information may be learned about a current or former client that had not been discussed in therapy. It is always the right of the client to choose what get’s shared in therapy. My reasons for not following current or former clients on social media are described above. In addition, viewing your online activities without your explicit consent and without a specific clinical purpose could have potential negative effects on your treatment. I might learn things about you that you have chosen not to discuss in therapy. It is your right to choose what to share in our work. Please don’t forward emails or screen shots that involve other people as anything that does get sent to A New Dawn Therapy, LLC will become become part of a legal record.
Interacting
Please do not use SMS (mobile phone text messaging) or messaging on Social Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn to contact Katie Geiser, LPC or A New Dawn Therapy, LLC. These sites are not secure and the messages are not read in a timely fashion. Do not use Wall postings, @replies, or other means of engaging with A New Dawn Therapy, LLC or Katie Geiser, LPC if an already established client/therapist relationship exists. Engaging in this way could compromise your confidentiality. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become a part of a legal medical record and will need to be documents and archived in this record.
Discovering/Viewing Online Activity
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC has a website with a published blog. A New Dawn Therapy, LLC has a Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest account. There is no expectation that clients will or will want to follow A New Dawn Therapy, LLC. However, if a current or former client uses and easily recognizable name online it may be noticed that they are following A New Dawn Therapy, LLC and its potential impact on a working relationship may be briefly discussed in a therapeutic session. If any published work by A New Dawn Therapy, LLC has an impact on a client, it is important to Katie Geiser, LPC and A New Dawn Therapy, LLC that the client feels comfortable and safe bringing it up in their sessions.
Business Review Sites
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC may show up on sites such as Yelp, Healthgrades, Yahoo Local, Bing, or other places which list businesses. Some of these sites include forums in which users rate their providers and add reviews. Many of these sites comb search engines for business listings and automatically add listings regardless of whether the business has added itself to the site. If you should find A New Dawn Therapy, LLC listed on any of these sites, please know that the listing is not a request for a testimonial, rating, or endorsement from any current or former client. Current or former clients have the right to express themselves on any site they wish. But due to confidentiality, A New Dawn Therapy, LLC or Katie Geiser, LPC, cannot respond to any review on any of these sites whether it is positive or negative. It is encouraged for clients to consider their own privacy if they choose to write a review on such a site. It should be aware that if a client is using these sites to communication indirectly with Katie Geiser, LPC, about feelings regarding their work, there is a possibility that Katie Geiser, LPC may not see it. It is encouraged that these feelings and reactions are brought into the therapeutic session. This can be an important part of therapy, even if the client has decided that A New Dawn Therapy, LLC or Katie Geiser, LPC is not a good fit.
Location-Based Services
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC does not practice as a check-in location on various sites such as Foursquare, Places, etc. However, it should be made aware of privacy issues related to using location-based services on a mobile phone. If GPS tracking is enabled on a mobile device, it is possible that others may surmise that you are a therapy client due to regular location or check-ins at A New Dawn Therapy, LLC. Furthermore, if family members or partners use Find My Phone to track whereabouts, there is potential risk of them seeing the location and discover you are in therapy.
It is preferred that email is only used to arrange or modify appointments. For teletherapy, email may also be used to send handouts or links ( they may also be uploaded to a client portal in Simple Practice). It should be made aware that all exchanged emails become a part of a legal medical record. It should also be noted that email is not completely secure or confidential. All emails are retained in the logs of 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.
Texting
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC and Katie Geiser, LPC does not text with current, former, or potential clients. The best way to contact is to call or send an email.
Record-Keeping and Data Storage
A New Dawn Therapy, LLC uses Simple Practice, a HIPAA-compliant cloud-based digital health system to schedule appointments, track your payments and diagnosis, store your records, and provide video appointments.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to review A New Dawn Therapy, LLC’s Social Media Policy. If you have questions or concerns about any of these policies and procedures or regarding our potential interactions on the Internet, please contact me so that we can discuss them.