Digital Policy

create difficulties when communicating or maintaining therapeutic boundaries online. Thus the aim of this policy is to set out how I work and interact online.

I am an accredited registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP – 318081) and Professional Level 2 member of The Association of Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO – 1237) and adhere to both organisations ethical frameworks promoting a safe and confidential practice. Part of this requirement is that I attend monthly supervision with a supervisor that is to promote best practice.

Location

I only work with clients in the United Kingdom at present due to the differing laws and practice in other countries.

Age Groups

I am trained to work with adults of 18 years online.

Online Assessment

Prior to starting online counselling we will go through an online assessment together to check whether online counselling is suitable for you. Not every difficulty is appropriate to work with online due to distance and support systems not being as readily available as they would be in face-to-face therapy but this is decided on an individual basis. If I feel that you may need support during our work together then it is usual for me to work with you to put together a safety plan of support or coping strategies, you can use between sessions should you become overwhelmed.

If for any reason I am unable to support, you online I can help you to find a suitable alternative in your area.

Online Relationship

Our online relationship will remain a professional relationship as I have an ethical duty to maintain boundaries to provide you with a safe and confidential space. Clients can sometimes find this difficult due to the intimate nature of counselling and it is something I will always talk to you about if I thought you struggling with it. Contact between sessions is limited to me sending you resources or information and changes in arrangements only, unless otherwise agreed.

Netiquette

A.I.M promotes and encourages online netiquette by modelling such behaviour as the absence of a physical person, voice or nonverbal body language can sometimes cause us to feel more disinhibited and say things that we may not necessarily say in person. This can be positive as it may help you to express yourself in a way that you struggle with face to face. It is something that could also lead to misunderstandings so I always have in mind that I am talking to another human being and as such consider how my communication may be perceived.

Misunderstandings

We have seen above how the online relationship can be prone to misunderstandings and therefore I always encourage you to seek clarity on any aspects of communication you are unsure about and I will do the same.

Social Media

I personally have limited social media presence and do not use social media professionally. To maintain professional boundaries, I will not be able to accept any invitations for contact with current or past clients and I will not initiate contact with clients via social media sites or forums.

It is not permissible to publicise the content of our written, verbal or video communication or share them with a third party or other aspects of personal and public forums.

Website Contact Form

All information that you send via the contact form on the website is encrypted as the website has been designed to use web industry standard encryption called SSL. This stands for Security Socket Layer which shows as a padlock in the URL bar. This ensures that all data sent from the web browser is encrypted in transit.

Protonmail Secure Email for Assessment and Emails Between Sessions

Protonmail which uses end to end encryption developed by CERN and MIT scientists. You will need to register for a free account at www.protonmail.com prior to assessment.

My Protonmail email account is anintegratedmind@protonmail.com however jody@aimtraumatherapy.co.uk will also arrive at this inbox.

Gmail

A.I.M occasionally uses Gmail to send files which is encrypted using transport layer security (TLS). As long as the recipients email also supports TLS then the email will be encrypted. Please note that all email communication is subject to human error, and it is advisable to consider what you might include.

Therapy Via Webcam

I am currently using Zoom to deliver therapy via a webcam which encrypts meetings and provides a password. There is no need to download any software I just send you a link via email inviting you to the meeting at a specified time. If you have any queries on this please do get in touch.

Text messages

I have a mobile phone specifically for business purposes which is operational during my working hours as specified in the footer of the website. If you are running late to a session or need to cancel or rearrange then I am happy for you to do so by text. If you need to cancel a session, then a minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required, or the missed session will be charged for. I will likely not be able to respond immediately but will endeavour to do so at the earliest opportunity within working hours. For data protection purposes I delete all text messages once I have read and responded to them in line with my privacy policy.

Technical Difficulties

If for any reason we experience technical issues during a ‘real time’ appointment then I will try to re-connect with you, if this is not possible then we will finish the session on an agreed alternative device which is usually a phone.

Online Payments

I use a secure online invoicing platform called Stripe for all payment transactions which allows me to generate invoices and send a payment link to your chosen email address. Stripe is one of the top online platforms in the payment card industry and has top-level security (PCI Level 1). Please note payment is due 24 hours prior to your session taking place.

Last update: 23rd June 2024 by J. Robins