Crcc code of ethics

Journal o f Applied Rehabilitation Counseling

Boundaries with Social Media: Ethical Considerations fo r Rehabilitation Professionals Ashley K. Crtalic Reg L. Gibbs Matthew E. Sprang Tom F. Dell

Abstract — The increase in social networking media, online and distance counseling, and the ubiquitous use o f laptops, hand-held devices, and internet connected devices at home and in work settings have resulted in the need f o r ethical standards to help guide rehabilitation p ro ­ fessionals in service delivery. In response, the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Cer­ tification (CRCC) has incorporated Section J: Technology and Distance Counseling into the CRCC Code o f Ethics. Additionally, the CRCC released a social media policy on their website. However, specific ethical standards addressing the use o f social media have not been implemented. The purpose o f this manuscript is to address potential issues that can arise in interacting with clients through social media. Specifically, we will discuss the follow ing ar­ eas: (1) digital immigrants and natives, (2) social media mechanics, (3) advantages o f using social media, (4) disadvantages o f using social media, (5) social media and the CRCC Code o f Ethics, (6) using social media professionally, privately, or not at all, and (7) implementing a social media policy. Discussion and recommendations are provided.

The increase in social networking media, online and distance counseling, and the ubiquitous use o f laptops, hand-held devices, and internet connected devices at home and in work settings have resulted in the need for counseling professions to provide ethical standards to address privacy and security concerns (Mui, Sprong, Lee, Chowdhury, & Flowers, 2013). One such counseling organization that has developed ethical guidelines to address the potential ethical concerns o f the use of technology in distance counseling is the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). The CRCC is a professional organization that establishes a standard o f quality for rehabilitation professionals working in different avenues o f service delivery (Parker & Patterson, 2012). The primary focus o f this profession is to improve the subjective well-being (feeling o f satisfaction with life) o f persons with disabilities by addressing their vocational, medical, psychological, and social needs (Rubin & Roessler, 2008).

The CRCC has established certification procedures for rehabilitation professionals (Certified Rehabilitation Counselors [CRC]) interested in “providing services w ithin the scope o f p ractice for rehabilitation

professionals...while demonstrating the beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and skills, to provide competent counseling services to work collaboratively with diverse groups of in­ dividuals...” (CRCC Code o f Ethics, 2009, p. 1). Further­ more, the CRCC has developed comprehensive ethical guidelines to help facilitate effective service delivery. A current topic o f interest and potential ethical concern is in­ teracting with clients via social media by rehabilitation pro­ fessionals in a world where the use o f social media as a communication medium is becoming increasingly popular. According to Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), social media is “a group o f Internet-based applications that ... allow the creation and exchange o f User Generated Content” (p. 61), and include websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedln. These websites are experiencing much growth, as users continue to subscribe to social media platforms every day. For example, Facebook has grown to 1.39 billion monthly active users, including 890 million who used Facebook on a daily basis (Facebook Newsroom, 2015).

With the increased use o f technology in counseling, the CRCC Code o f Ethics incorporated “Section J: Tech­ nology and Distance Counseling” to provide specific guide­ lines to help foster effective and efficient service delivery

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Volume 46, Number 3, Fall 2015

online. The subsections provide specific areas to consider when utilizing technology in service delivery (e.g., accessi­ bility, confidentiality, informed consent, distance counsel­ ing security and business practices). However, the current CRCC Code o f Ethics does not have specific standards in Section J. that clearly address social media usage. The pur­ pose o f this manuscript is to address potential issues that can arise in interacting with clients through social media. Spe­ cifically, we intend to discuss the following areas: (1) digi­ tal immigrants and natives, (2) social media mechanics, (3) advantages o f using social media, (4) disadvantages o f us­ ing social media, (5) social media and the CRCC Code of Ethics, (6) using social media professionally, privately, or not at all, and (7) implementing a social media policy. It is apparent that potential ethical issues with social media may impact all counseling disciplines.

Digital Immigrants & Natives While websites such as Facebook have commonly

been used primarily by the traditional college-aged demo­ graphic, currently the most rapidly growing segment of Facebook users is women ages 55 and older (Kaplan, Wade, Conteh, & Martz, 2011). According to a Salary Report (2008) conducted by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, almost half o f all rehabilitation professionals are age fifty or older. Thus, many current cer­ tified rehabilitation professionals were likely not raised in a generation that experienced interacting via social media from an early age. The future generations o f certified reha­ bilitation professionals can be termed “digital natives”, be­ cause they were bom into a world where the internet and other technologies are learned along with primary language. On the other hand, the older generations o f certified rehabil­ itation professionals can be thought o f as “digital immi­ grants” because they were bom in a different time and now must leam the new language and culture o f the digital na­ tives so they are better able to communicate with them (Lehavot, Barnett, & Powers, 2010).

Generational differences occur not just in the per­ sonal use of social media, but there are also discrepancies in what constitutes ethical use o f social media as a professional between different generations. Lannin and Scott (2013) re­ viewed research that addressed age-related differences in social media use and found discrepancies. For example, one study o f doctoral psychology students found that while three out o f four students used online social networking of­ ten to communicate with friends, most established psychol­ ogists did not use social networking in their practice. Furthermore, in another study, 98% o f doctoral psychology students reported that they had used the internet to search for at least one client’s information over the past year, a practice that is often frowned upon and seen as an invasion o f privacy by established practitioners. However, according to Smith and Skaflen (2011), between 5,000 and 25,000 online contacts take place between counselors and clients each day.