Purpose

Stephanie Annesley, Stephanie Dickson, Steph Does Therapy ("the Practice") uses social media, digital technology, and artificial intelligence ("AI") to support education, communication, administration, and marketing.

These tools can make mental health information more accessible, but they also create potential risks related to privacy, confidentiality, accuracy, professional boundaries, and misinformation.

This policy explains how the Practice uses social media and AI while protecting client confidentiality and maintaining professional and ethical standards.

1. Social Media & Confidentiality

Client privacy and confidentiality apply online just as they do within therapy.

The Practice:

• Does not post identifiable or potentially identifiable information about clients.

• Does not share client stories, experiences, messages, or clinical information on social media without appropriate consent and consideration of professional and ethical obligations.

• Does not search for information about clients online or through social media unless there is a legitimate professional reason to do so and the action is consistent with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.

• Takes reasonable precautions to protect professional social media accounts from unauthorized access.

Content posted by the Practice should never be interpreted as referring to a specific client unless this has been explicitly stated and appropriate consent has been obtained.

Examples, scenarios, or fictional situations used for educational purposes are intended to illustrate general experiences and are not representations of identifiable clients.

2. Following & Interacting on Social Media

Clients are welcome to view or follow the Practice's public professional social media accounts.

However, following a professional account may publicly reveal an association with a therapist or mental health practice. Clients should consider their own privacy preferences before following, commenting, liking, sharing, or otherwise interacting with the Practice's content.

The Practice does not accept friend or follow requests from current clients on personal social media accounts.

The Practice also generally avoids following clients' personal accounts in order to maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries.

3. Social Media Is Not a Therapeutic Communication Channel

Social media is not used to provide therapy, clinical advice, assessment, diagnosis, crisis support, or ongoing therapeutic communication.

Comments, likes, follows, shares, reactions, or direct messages do not establish a therapist-client relationship.

Clients should not use social media direct messages, comments, or other public interactions to discuss:

• Personal mental health information

• Therapy sessions

• Appointments or scheduling concerns

• Clinical questions

• Sensitive or confidential information

If a client contacts the Practice through social media about a clinical or administrative matter, they may be redirected to an appropriate private communication channel.

Social media accounts are not continuously monitored.

4. Professional Boundaries

The Practice maintains separate personal and professional social media use whenever reasonably possible.

Professional boundaries apply to online interactions just as they do to interactions outside the internet.

The Practice considers the potential impact of social media activity on existing therapeutic relationships and takes reasonable steps to avoid interactions that could create inappropriate dual relationships, conflicts of interest, confidentiality concerns, or boundary issues.

5. Educational Content

Content shared through the Practice's website, social media accounts, emails, videos, podcasts, blogs, downloads, or other public platforms is provided for general educational and informational purposes only.

Public content:

• Is not psychotherapy.

• Does not establish a therapist-client relationship.

• Is not individualized mental health advice.

• Is not intended to diagnose or treat a mental health condition.

• Should not replace individualized assessment, therapy, medical care, or other professional support when needed.

Mental health information is necessarily general when presented publicly and may not apply to every person's circumstances.

6. Advertising & Marketing

The Practice aims to ensure that marketing and public communications are truthful, accurate, professional, and not misleading.

Marketing materials will not:

• Guarantee specific therapeutic outcomes.

• Create unjustified expectations about the results of therapy.

• Misrepresent professional credentials, training, experience, or scope of practice.

• Use misleading comparisons or unsupported claims.

• Use client fears or vulnerabilities inappropriately to encourage someone to seek services.

• Use client testimonials or endorsements in advertising where prohibited by applicable professional standards.

Any paid advertising will be reasonably identifiable as advertising where required.

The Practice also takes reasonable steps to ensure that third parties creating or publishing advertising on its behalf follow applicable professional advertising requirements.

7. Reviews & Testimonials

Because confidentiality applies even when a client publicly identifies themselves, the Practice generally does not confirm or discuss therapeutic relationships in response to online reviews, comments, or posts.

The Practice does not solicit client testimonials or use client testimonials to advertise psychotherapy services where doing so is prohibited by applicable professional standards.

Clients who wish to provide feedback about their experience are encouraged to contact the Practice privately.

If a review or public comment contains inaccurate information, the Practice may take reasonable steps to address the issue without revealing confidential information or confirming whether the individual is or was a client.

8. AI-Assisted Content & Marketing

The Practice may use artificial intelligence tools to assist with administrative, educational, creative, and marketing activities.

Examples may include assistance with:

• Brainstorming content ideas

• Drafting or editing educational content

• Website copy

• Blog posts

• Social media captions

• Marketing materials

• Research organization

• Graphic or visual concepts

• Images, photographs, video, voice, or other creative media

AI is used as an assistive tool rather than a substitute for professional judgment.

Where content involves mental health or psychotherapy information, the Practice takes reasonable steps to review AI-assisted material for accuracy, appropriateness, and alignment with professional standards before publication.

AI-generated information can contain errors, omissions, biases, or fabricated information. The Practice therefore does not assume that AI-generated information is accurate simply because it was produced by an AI system.

9. AI-Generated Images, Photos & Videos

Some photographs, images, graphics, videos, audio, backgrounds, models, people, scenes, or other creative elements appearing on the Practice's website, social media accounts, advertisements, or other marketing materials may be created, modified, enhanced, or generated using artificial intelligence.

These materials may be used for illustrative, educational, aesthetic, or marketing purposes.

AI-generated people or scenarios appearing in marketing materials should not be interpreted as actual clients, actual therapy sessions, client testimonials, or representations of specific client experiences.

Where appropriate, the Practice may identify content as AI-generated or AI-assisted when doing so would help prevent a reasonable viewer from being misled about the nature or source of the material.

AI-generated imagery will not knowingly be used to create a false impression regarding client outcomes, professional credentials, services, facilities, or the nature of psychotherapy offered by the Practice.

10. AI & Client Information

Protecting confidential client information remains a priority when using AI technologies.

The Practice does not intentionally enter identifiable client information into general-purpose public AI tools for marketing, content creation, or other non-clinical purposes.

When considering an AI tool that may process personal health information or confidential client information, the Practice considers factors such as:

• Privacy and security protections

• How information is stored and processed

• Whether information may be used to train AI systems

• Data retention and deletion practices

• Applicable privacy legislation

• Professional and regulatory requirements

• Whether client knowledge or consent is required

AI tools are not used as a substitute for the therapist's clinical judgment or professional responsibilities.

11. AI Used in Clinical or Administrative Care

If the Practice introduces an AI technology that meaningfully affects a client's therapy, documentation, assessment, communication, or handling of personal health information, its use will be evaluated separately from general marketing uses of AI.

Where required or appropriate, clients will be informed about:

• What technology is being used.

• Why it is being used.

• What information may be processed.

• Potential privacy, confidentiality, accuracy, or security considerations.

• Whether the client has choices regarding its use.

The therapist remains professionally responsible for clinical decisions and does not rely solely on AI-generated assessments, recommendations, summaries, or conclusions.

12. Accuracy & Professional Responsibility

AI and social media do not replace professional competence or judgment.

The Practice takes reasonable steps to ensure publicly shared mental health information is based on credible sources and reasonable professional opinion.

If inaccurate or misleading information is identified in Practice-created content, reasonable efforts will be made to correct or update it.

Because mental health research and professional guidance evolve over time, older social media posts or educational materials may not always reflect the most current information.

13. Security

Reasonable safeguards are used to protect professional social media accounts and digital systems, including appropriate account security, password protection, access controls, and other security measures where applicable.

Only authorized individuals may manage professional accounts or access Practice systems.

If third-party contractors or service providers assist with marketing, technology, or social media, reasonable steps are taken to ensure they understand applicable confidentiality and privacy expectations.

14. Availability of Services

Content published online may be viewed by people in many locations.

The availability of psychotherapy services depends on the therapist's registration, professional obligations, insurance requirements, and the jurisdiction in which the client is located at the time services are provided.

Seeing Practice content online does not necessarily mean psychotherapy services can be provided in your location.

15. Crisis & Emergency Communication

Social media, website contact forms, and direct messages are not appropriate channels for emergency or crisis support and may not be monitored continuously.

If you are experiencing an emergency, believe you may be at immediate risk of harm, or require urgent medical or mental health assistance, contact the emergency or crisis services available in your location or go to your nearest emergency department.

16. Changes to This Policy

Technology, social media platforms, privacy requirements, and professional standards continue to evolve.

The Practice may update this policy periodically to reflect changes in technology, applicable legislation, professional guidance, or Practice procedures.

The most current version of this policy will be made available through the Practice.

Contact

Questions or concerns regarding this policy may be directed to:

Stephanie Annesley or Stephanie Dickson,
Stephanie Annesley, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https;//stephannesley.com

Last updated: August 2026