ethics of a psychology blog

[weeblewobble]

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Hi,

I've had a tumblr (in my defense for people who are not fans- it was the only blogging site I really knew about, which maybe is the opposite of a defense 😉) for a couple of years now, focused mostly on grad school and therapy related stuff. It does pretty well and I'm thinking about expanding and making a "real" website. I have a slight worry about how such a thing would be received by colleagues and mentors- specifically because I get "asks" from internet strangers wanting psych advice pretty frequently. I don't give them advice- I tell them to go see somebody in their area, and depending on the question say some general stuff about the issue at hand (ex: they want to know if CBT will help them, I talk about efficacy of CBT for anxiety in general or whatever and link to some articles while emphasizing that they are a unique person that I don't know and am not treating and therefore cannot offer specific advice for) -but that is a piece of the blog currently. I have looked at the APA ethics guidelines and believe I am following them. In general, I enjoy doing a blog and think that increased access to information is beneficial to the general community. I still worry, though, that a faculty member or future potential employer will think differently. I would love some input. Thanks! 😀

 

[LupaCupcake]

The first thing that pops into my mind as a potential issue is the idea of another WebMD type of application. People often turn to google to diagnose themselves, their family and their friends. I would post a disclaimer on every page that is obvious for the visitors so they understand it is a not a blog to diagnose them or give them treatment. Maybe even a search engine that allows them to look up providers in their local area. I would just make sure it is very clear what the blog is intended to do and not do.

 

[PsyDr]

Division 46 has guidelines for this.

 

[Rose Tyler]

I can't really speak for the ethics of it, but I know I used to follow an author of fiction who also happened to be a clinical psychologist. She'd occasionally blog about psychology-related topics and she had a disclaimer that her blog was for entertainment and informational purposes only, not to be construed as medical advice.

 

[weeblewobble]

The first thing that pops into my mind as a potential issue is the idea of another WebMD type of application. People often turn to google to diagnose themselves, their family and their friends. I would post a disclaimer on every page that is obvious for the visitors so they understand it is a not a blog to diagnose them or give them treatment. Maybe even a search engine that allows them to look up providers in their local area. I would just make sure it is very clear what the blog is intended to do and not do.

Thank you, that's very helpful. I do currently have a disclaimer but I think that expanding it probably makes sense, and I hadn't thought of putting it on every page. I like the idea of a search engine- I usually give people some ideas of where they could find services, but it would be good to have something built in.

 

[weeblewobble]

Division 46 has guidelines for this.

I couldn't find this- I found guidelines for telepsychology, but the definition is limited to provision of services, not to media in general.

EDIT: Here's what I found, if that's what you're talking about. Let me know if you meant something different, that would be extremely useful!