Social Media Policy

Gracefully Redefine You

As a psychologist registered with AHPRA, I have certain rules and ethical obligations when conducting myself on the internet. This information outlines my social media policy and how you may expect me to respond to any interactions between us online, especially if you are, or have been, a client of my clinical practice or a participant in one of my online courses or programs

Friending/Following/Adding as a Contact

I maintain an online presence on several social media sites. I use my full name, Natasha Kiemel‑Incorvaia or Natasha Kiemel. I also use the usernames graciously.you.psych, Graciously You Psychological Services, and branding related to Gracefully Redefine You / Natashacourses on these sites so that it is clear it is me representing my business and myself. I do not want you to see a pseudonym and think you are following someone else only to find out later that it is me.

I don’t accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients, or from current or former course participants, on any social networking site. I believe adding clients or participants as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur professional boundaries and make the relationship feel more like a friendship, a type of patronage, or simply encourage voyeurism. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet or in appropriate course forums and we can talk more about it.

You are welcome to view my public Instagram and Facebook pages and other public profiles, where I share psychological information, and news and updates about my work and courses. There is no expectation for you to follow, download or purchase resources or courses, or read information on my blog, or listen to my podcast. You may also run across my information in other settings. You may see online ads that I post, you may discover that we have friends or contacts in common on social media, or you may see me quoted or published in the media or see my published writings or research.

It is at your discretion if you choose to follow my public accounts or access these resources. You are welcome to discuss any content from these sources with me in the appropriate context – for example, in therapy sessions (if you are a client of Graciously You) or in course Q&A spaces (if you are a course participant). Please be mindful that if you use an easily recognizable name online, I may happen to notice that you’ve followed me.

I will not ever knowingly follow you on social media, although it is possible that if you use a pseudonym, I may accidentally follow you. If this happens, you are welcome to let me know. My reasons for not following current or former clients or participants on social media are described above.

Please don’t forward me emails or screenshots that involve other people. Anything you send me becomes part of your record with me (clinical or administrative) and may have to be stored accordingly.

Interacting

Please do not use SMS (text message) or messaging on social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Slack, LinkedIn or similar to contact me about course or clinical matters. These sites are not secure and I may not read these messages in a timely fashion. Do not use wall postings, @replies, direct messages or other means of engaging with me in public online if we have an established professional relationship (as therapist or as course facilitator). Engaging with me this way could compromise your confidentiality. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become part of your record and will need to be documented and archived.

If you need to contact me or my admin team in relation to a course, the best way to do so is by emailing the support team at [email protected]. Please use email only for administrative or technical issues, such as accessing course materials, payment or login difficulties, and questions about how the program is delivered. Email is not suitable for clinical support, psychological emergencies or ongoing therapeutic discussions.

Use of Search Engines

I do not search for clients or course participants on social media or using search engines. I see this as a potential breach of your privacy and of the trust between us. Viewing your online activities and postings can alter my impressions of you and change the relationship we are mutually developing in our work, as described in the section on Friending/Following. It can also create confusion about whether I am looking at your online activity as part of treatment or course facilitation (for assessment or instructional purposes) or simply to satisfy personal curiosity. If you do have online activity that you want me to know about, please talk to me about it directly in the appropriate context.

My Writings About Psychotherapy

I occasionally publish content in which I may reference my clinical or educational work. When I do so, I use broad examples regarding common themes and do not reference any specific client or participant. I won’t be writing about your individual therapy or your personal participation in a course.

Business Review Sites

You may find my psychology practice, or my business through which I sell online courses, on sites such as Yelp, Healthshare, Google, or other places which list businesses. Some of these sites include forums in which users rate providers and add reviews. Many of these listings are created automatically, regardless of whether the business has added itself to the site. If you find my listing on any of these sites, please know that my listing is not a request for a testimonial, rating, or endorsement from you as a client or as a course participant.

The Australian Psychological Society’s and broader professional ethical guidance state that it is unethical for psychologists to solicit testimonials from therapy clients or other persons who may be vulnerable to undue influence.

Of course, you have a right to express yourself on any site you wish. But due to confidentiality, I cannot respond to any review on any of these sites, whether it is positive or negative. I urge you to consider your own privacy if you choose to write a review on such a site. You should also be aware that if you are using these sites to communicate indirectly with me about your feelings about our work, there is a good possibility that I may never see it.

Confidentiality means that I cannot tell people that you are my client or participant, and ethical codes prohibit me from requesting testimonials from clients. You are, however, free to tell anyone you wish that I am your therapist or that you have taken one of my courses, and how you feel about the treatment or education you received, in any forum of your choosing.

If you do choose to write something on a business review site, keep in mind that you may be sharing personally revealing information in a public forum. Please consider creating a pseudonym that is not linked to your regular email address or friend networks for your own privacy and protection.