Social Media Policy
We are committed to safeguarding our clients’ privacy. Read our privacy policy here.
Aquilla Wellness Solutions and Dr Barbara Louw fully respect the rights of all peoples including current, former or potential clients to engage in online activities. This social media policy is designed to provide guidelines regarding interacting with our “online presence”. The objectives are to protect your confidentiality, privacy and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
If you have any questions about anything within this document, let us discuss your questions when we meet. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there will be times an updated policy published on this website.
Social Media Accounts
Aquilla Wellness Solutions and Dr Barbara Louw’s online presence include several professional social media accounts including but not limited to Facebook Pages, Google Business Pages, LinkedIn profiles, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Slide Share, and professional blogs.
We communicate through social media. These communications are referred to as social media disclosures. These social media disclosures are intended for general information purposes, connecting with the public and networking. We do not publish any personal or private information about clients on social media. All social media contacts or connections are not automatically client or colleagues, because platforms are used for networking.
You are welcome to view our social media and read or share articles we posted. Please be wise in interacting on the page in order not to compromise your client confidentiality. The sole purpose of social media interaction is to network and to share general information to encourage and empower people in general.
How you choose to interact with us online:
You are under no obligation to find and engage with us through social media in any manner. If you choose to engage with us through social media, for example commenting on a post, and you can be identified, this may compromise your confidentiality. You agree not to use any of our Social Media platforms to communicate to us any information about our professional relationship including but not limited to changing appointment times, discussing issues that occurred in the counselling sessions or to indicate that you are having a crisis.
Email, Texting and Voicemail
Use our online booking system to arrange or modify appointments. You must be aware that emails, texting and cell phone voicemails are NOT 100% tamper-proof and can be accessed by the service providers’ network administrators. By choosing to e-mail, text and leave messages on my voicemail, you acknowledge and accept, however small, the risks with communicating using these methods. Due to the nature of the counselling process, we recommend that the use of email and text messages be restricted to logistical information such as sending and receiving forms and worksheets.
If you use e-mail and/or text messages to communicate non-logistical information you acknowledge and accept the risks. Communication through email and/or text messaging may serve as a support to your counselling sessions and do not replace face-to-face or online sessions. You should also know that any emails we receive from you and any responses that we return to you become a part of your counselling record. You agree not to use email to communicate that you are having a crisis.
In the event of an emergency call 10111 or go to the nearest hospital.
Location-Based Services
If you used location-based or tracking services on your mobile phone, you need to be aware of the privacy issues related to utilising these services. We do not place our practice as a check-in location on various sites such as Google, etc. However, if you have GPS tracking enabled on your device, others may surmise that you are a counselling client due to regular check-ins at our office. Please be aware of this risk if you are intentionally “checking in,” from our office or if you have a passive LBS (Location-based service) application enabled on your phone.
We urge you to take your privacy as seriously as we take our commitment of confidentiality to you.
Last updated 30/08/2020
