Social Media Policy

Sand1Social Media Policy and Electronic Communication

This page offers a brief summary of my office policies regarding my use of social media. My policies have been adopted with the purpose of maintaining your confidentiality. If you have any questions regarding this information, I invite you to bring them up when we meet.

Contacting me: The best ways to reach me are by phone or text at 415-218-2442, or by email at info(at)marlacass(dot)com. Unfortunately, the limitations of current technology mean that text messages, email, and calls made to or from mobile phones may not be secure. If you choose to use these forms of communication to contact me, please do not include confidential information. Also, in most cases, I will respond using whatever form of communication you have used to contact me, e.g., if you send me an email, I will respond via email. You should always keep in mind the possibility that any form of electronic communication can potentially be compromised.

Email: Although I use an SSL connection, I do not use encrypted email and I cannot guaranty the confidentiality of emails sent to or from my email address. In addition, email service providers may retain copies of emails. As a result, I encourage new clients to use email only to make initial contact with me and I encourage current clients to only use email to discuss appointment changes and/or other topics that are not confidential.

Facebook/LinkedIn/Instagram, etc.: I do not accept nor do I respond to social media requests from current or former clients, including, but not limited to, requests to “friend,” “like,” or “fan” on Facebook or connect on LinkedIn. Connecting on social media can blur the boundaries of our professional relationship and compromise confidentiality, potentially compromising the work we are doing in therapy. Please do not use social media sites to contact me, as these sites are not secure and I may not see your message in a timely manner. If you would like to contact me, please use my phone or email contact information.

In addition, it is my policy not to view your online information. Viewing this information without your consent can have a negative impact on our work together. If there is something from your online content that you wish to share with me, please bring it to our sessions so that we can review it together.

Review Sites: Information about my practice can be found on various online sites that offer information about psychotherapy services in San Francisco. Although several of these sites offer opportunities to submit comments, please know that I Never solicit comments or testimonials from current or former clients. In fact, such solicitation is considered unethical by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. If you do elect to publish comments about our work together, please know that I will not respond on the internet in order to protect confidentiality.

Location-based services: If you use location-based services on your mobile phone, you should be aware of privacy issues that may arise from the use of such services. The building in which my office is located contains many psychotherapists and it is possible that people may assume you are meeting with a psychotherapist if they are tracking your location.

Phone or video sessions: While I normally meet with most clients in my office, and I believe that therapy works most effectively when meetings are face-to-face, I also conduct phone or video sessions when necessary. For phone sessions, I make every effort to conduct sessions using a landline, which presumably offers more privacy than a mobile line, however, depending on scheduling, I may use a mobile line which may be less secure. For video sessions, I use HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platforms, If we elect to hold a session on the phone or using video technology, I encourage you to discuss any concerns you may have regarding the use of technology for this purpose.

It is always your right to choose how and with whom to share the fact that you are in therapy with me. If we are working together, my hope is that you will bring your thoughts and feelings to our therapy sessions so that we can discuss them. This can be an important part of our work together. Also, if you post your comments to a public forum, I may or may not notice it, or may not notice it until long after you have posted it.

If you have any questions or concerns about my Social Media Policy, please contact me.