+ Internet and Ethics for School Psychologists: A Discussion of the Issues
+ Learning Objectives - Participants will apply the APA General Principles and Ethical Standards to the use of the Internet. Participants will apply the NASP Principles for Professional Ethics to the use of the Internet. Participants will apply the APA and NASP principles and standards to real life scenarios involving psychologists’ use of the Internet.
+ For school psychologists, the Internet has created new ease with which to communicate with colleagues and friends, network with others, and share information (Pham, 2014). But given the public nature of the Internet, this heightens concerns and impose ethical considerations that psychologists did not have to deal with before.
+ As school psychologists our professional practice is guided by both the NASP Principles for Professional Ethics and the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. According to APA, Principles are aspirational goals to guide psychologists toward the highest ideals of psychology and are not themselves enforceable rules. The Ethical Standards, on the other hand, set forth enforceable rules of conduct. They are not exhaustive and the fact that a given conduct is not specifically addressed by an Ethical Standard does not mean that it is necessarily either ethical or unethical.
+ In the APA Ethics Code , the sections that are particularly relevant to social media are : Privacy and confidentiality, multiple relationships, and therapy. The NASP Principles also do not address use of social media directly but those are implied in the principles of Privacy and Confidentiality; Fairness and Justice; Multiple Relationships and Conflict of Interest.
+ Regular use of Internet by school psychologists can create new ethical dilemmas that the profession of School Psychology has not yet carefully explored. These situations can include, but are not limited to: defamations of clients, students or trainers; reporting of illegal or harmful behaviors; “digital” dual relationships; and self-disclosure of personal information. (Pham, 2014)
+ Private X Public “ [The APA] Ethics Code applies only to psychologists’ activities that are part of their scientific, educational, or professional role as psychologists…. These activities shall be distinguished from the purely private conduct of psychologists, which is not within the purview of the Ethics code. The language quoted above suggests a clear demarcation between private and professional behavior. HOWEVER, In seconds, information which almost certainly would remain private, with a “click and a send”, can, in seconds, become a public event. In a space of only a few years the private realm has become smaller and the domain of the public has expanded (Behnke, 2008)
+ This reality shift has required us to reflect on its implications for our professional lives: so much that had been confined to our private lives is now potentially disclosed and available to colleagues, and others with whom we work, mainly through social networking. School psychologists are afforded autonomy regarding their online behavior, however, they need to be cautious with regard to how their private behavior may intersect with their professional work (Lannin & Scott, 2013)
+ Definition: Social networking has been defined as “web- based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system” (Boyd & Ellison, 2007, p.211) Social networking is frequently described as a collective and systemic form of Internet correspondence compared with email or instant messaging (Myers, et al, 2012). Social media is a broader term that refers to websites that enable the creation, exchange, and broadcasting of online user-generated content, such as photos, texts, videos, etc. These websites include Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. There are also content sharing sites such as YouTube, Flickr and Instagram.
+ In 2011, the most commonly used social networking websites in the United States were Facebook, T witter and LinkedIn (Dahlstrom et al, 2011). In 2014, Facebook reported having more than 1 billion registered users worldwide - it essentially doubled since 2012. In 2010, among psychology graduate students, 81% of students surveyed had an online network profile (Lehavot, et al, 2010) Professional organizations such as APA and NASP use social media to facilitate communication with their members, disseminate information relating to the professions, and post news regarding upcoming conferences or events.
+ How many of you have posted information in social media (Facebook, T witter, LikedIn, etc.) in the past month? Do you think the private information you posted may have implications for your professional life? How?
+ APA ethical principle 2.06 – Personal Problems and Conflicts, state: “ Psychologists refrain from initiating an activity when they know or should know that there is a substantial likelihood that their personal problems will prevent them from performing their work-related activities in a competent manner.” And, “ When psychologists become aware of personal problems that may interfere with their performing work-related duties adequately, they take appropriate measures, such as obtaining professional consultation or assistance, and determine whether they should limit, suspend, or terminate their work-related duties. (APA, 2010, p.5)
+ According to Behnke (2008), this standard focuses on how challenges in our personal lives , for example substance abuse, divorce, the death of a loved one or depression can impair our abilities to function competently. Even positive events such as a child’s wedding can be events that are deeply felt and may intersect with similar events in the lives of our patients and clients. As psychologists “we pay great attention to what information gets revealed, and to whom. We pay attention in this manner because as psychologists we recognize that both the “what” and “to whom” questions have clinical significance. Attending to those questions has ethical significance as well, because disclosing information that has a reasonable likelihood of becoming available to clients can facilitate, or significantly hinder, our ability to exercise BENEFICIENCE in a professional relationship (Behnke, 2007).
+ Privacy and Confidentiality The term privacy, from a legal standpoint, addresses who has the authority to release or disclose confidential information within a professional relationship (practitioner and client). The more common definition of privacy refers to situations in which individuals expect that personal information or shared conversations between one another would remain between intended parties.
+ Should personal information gathered through the internet be considered private or confidential or can psychologists use this information to make professional judgments or decisions about clients (parents, students, teachers, etc)? Give examples. Would there be a difference in case the information provided in social media indicated illegal activity or intent to harm? In that case what should the psychologist do?
+ “…. The tremendous availability online of personal information threatens to alter what has been an almost sacred relationship between therapist and client. T raditionally, therapists obtained information about a patient through face-to-face dialogue. If outside information was needed, the therapist would obtain the patient’s consent to speak with family members or a previous mental-health practitioner.” (Scarton, 2010) Should a therapist review the website of a patient or conduct an online search without patient’s consent? There is no consensus on the issue
+ The director of the psychiatric training at UMass (2010) advocates caution when it come to mixing the Internet with therapy. He is concerned that it could dilute the therapeutic process by bringing in information from outside the patient- therapist discussions. When patients have asked him to read their blogs , he has agreed, but would do so during a regular counseling session. Suena Massey, assistant professor of psychiatry at George Washington University Medical Center, considers Googling a patient a valuable professional tool. “One of the duties of a psychiatrist is to corroborate what the patients say.” T o that end , online searches can be helpful when traditional approaches are not available. Massey says that she will warn a patient about her possible use of Google searches if she thinks the patient might have a problem with it. “ You could almost make the argument that it’s negligent not to search online when there is public information available” and might help treat a patient.” (Scarton, 2010)
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