⚖️Navigating Ethical Concerns in Soliciting Client Testimonials

This is the final edition art in a four part series. Part 1- Ethics of Sharing Client Stories Online , Part 2- Writing Client Stories in Academia vs on Social Media and Part 3- Is Consent Sufficient for Publicly Sharing Client Stories Online?

In today’s digital world, therapists often have an online presence—through websites, Practo profiles, or Google listings. Reviews and testimonials are a natural part of any online business, and many clients turn to them when choosing a therapist.

Unlike therapists sharing their success stories, testimonials give clients control over their own narratives. While, these offer hope and reassurance to those seeking therapy or help in them gauge service quality, soliciting and displaying them raises several concerns.

• Risk of harm

  When testimonials include identifying details, clients may face unintended consequences, such as experiencing discrimination from family or workplace.

• Challenges with consent

  These requests also blur the lines between therapy and business interests, or create unintended pressure which can impact the therapeutic relationship. (For more on this, see last week’s newsletter.)

• Bias in testimonials

  Therapists are naturally inclined to showcase only positive feedback, making the process inherently selective and unbalanced.

The American Psychological Association (APA) has taken a firm stance on this issue.

In the absence of a regulatory board in India, whether to seek testimonials or not is up to the therapist’s discretion. If you choose to request clients for them, it is essential to carefully consider issues of consent, confidentiality, therapeutic boundaries, and potential bias.

Until next week,
Suvrita

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