Social Media Do's and Don’ts for Behavioral Health Clinicians

There's no need to shy away from social media if you run a behavioral health clinic. It's true that social media for behavioral health clinicians is a completely different ballgame compared to other professionals or "influencers." Ethical considerations and HIPAA compliance are always at your shoulder as you post. However, the reality is that patients are looking for good information online. They're also looking for practitioners who can help them.

Many respected psychiatrists and therapists have gained massive followings online by offering clear, science-backed information and insights to help guide people to personal growth and access to mental health resources. Psychiatrist influencers like Dr. Jessica Clemens, Dr. Jake Goodman, Dr. Judith Joseph, and Dr. Melissa Shepard are engaging with millions daily to answer questions and destigmatize mental health. Have you ever wondered if you could get your name on a list like that? Let's talk about social media do's and don'ts for mental health clinicians.

Don't Put Yourself in a Burnout Scenario With Social Media

The truth is that social media can turn into a full-time job if you aren’t managing your time wisely. Just think of all of the lifestyle influencers who quit their full-time jobs to make incomes solely from creating social media content. That's not practical for most psychiatrists and therapists. Your "bread and butter" is your one-on-one work with patients. Trying to come up with topics, create creative content, and edit content takes time if you want to put quality content out there. Consider hiring a social media marketing agency to help you come up with a marketing plan and publishing schedule for social media. While your voice will still be 100% your own, the right team can handle all of the grunt work of growing on social media leaving you free to focus on your patients or clients.

Do Keep HIPAA Compliance at the Forefront

It's important that you don't make potential clients feel like they will be used for "content." When you share posts, never reveal any personal information about patients. Any examples that are shared should be general enough that a patient would not be able to recognize their own story in the details. This is about more than just not mentioning names. Keep your examples 100% generic.

Should your own clients be able to interact with you on social media? The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recommends establishing a policy regarding therapist participation in social media. Use of social media should be part of your informed consent process with clients.

Do Use Medical Disclaimers

It's also important to avoid the appearance of providing medical advice online. Make it clear that you are sharing content for informational purposes only. You may need to add disclaimers to certain posts. It's also acceptable to share general guidelines when answering specific questions from social media users. For example, you wouldn't be able to tell a patient if they should or shouldn't take a specific prescription medication they've been offered by a doctor. However, you could refer to official guidelines for when that medication should be prescribed.

Don't Be Free With Sharing Personal Details About Your Own Life

As a psychiatrist or therapist using social media, you are agreeing to give up your own anonymity to a certain extent. Based on your name and credentials, followers will be able to easily verify your educational background, where you've worked, and where you live. If the goal is to book more clients, this can be viewed as a good thing. However, it does expose you to overzealous followers who try to get too personal.

It's very important to not cross the line into sharing too much information online. While every person must decide how much they are comfortable sharing, it's advisable to avoid sharing information about your family, spouse, and children. The communal aspect of social media can lure us into feeling comfortable with "oversharing." This is why it's important to make sure that the information remains the focal point of your social media profile. This is an area where hiring an agency specializing in digital marketing for therapists can really help. By having all of your content screened and edited by a professional, you'll get feedback when it's clear that your posts are taking a more personal direction. This is something you can talk about with your team to decide if it's a positive or negative thing.

Do Stick to What's Proven

There can be a temptation to lean heavily on anecdotal bits or get into tangents when posting on social media. However, this can be harmful. It's important for behavioral health providers to maintain truthfulness and accuracy in all of their statements. Stick with information that has scientific support. When talking about theories or experimental work, be sure to distinguish between accepted practices and emerging ideas that could hold promise.

Don't Ignore Followers in Crisis

Psychiatrists and therapists who participate on social media are sometimes exposed to troubling posts from followers. People who reach out to you online may be desperate for answers or psychological care. One way to address crisis posts without crossing the line is to post links to crisis hotlines that can provide support.

Ultimately, social media marketing can be a great way to grow your practice. It can also sharpen your professional skills by giving you a platform for synthesizing ideas in sharable formats. Of course, the biggest benefit of social media for therapists and psychiatrists is that the work you do online feeds an audience hungry for mental health information. If you want to expand your presence on social media, our mental health marketing agency can help you create polished, tactful, and informative social content that can help you establish your professional digital persona.