Online Therapy Institute Verification Application

Online Coach Institute Verification Application

THIS APPLICATION IS A PREVIEW TO HELP YOU DETERMINE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR OUR GET VERIFIED PROGRAM.

ONCE PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE YOU WILL BE DIRECTED TO THE OFFICIAL APPLICATION.

We believe that whether you build services, market services or conduct services, a fundamental understanding of the ethics involved in the delivery of mental health information and services is paramount.

Completion and submission of this form constitutes your wish to be Verified annually by the Online Therapy Institute (OTI) or the Online Coach Institute (OCI).

It should be completed with reference to the main OTI Ethical framework for the Use of Technology in Mental Health at http://www.onlinetherapyinstitute.com/ethical-framework/ or one of the variations of this framework if more relevant to your service provision, such as Coaching. The provision of Online Supervision is included within these stipulations.

If any statement does not apply to your service, please submit N/A. If you have queries or are not sure whether an element of the form applies to your service, please email info@onlinetherapyinstitute.com.  You may use the space provided to elaborate on your approach to meeting the recommendations of the Ethical Framework for consideration by our team. Remember: the more you tell us, the more we can tell your potential service users.

It is our desire to embrace the wide variety of international approaches to meet realistic ethical standards, and the Frameworks themselves are designed to do this.

Identifying Information:

• Name
• Organization (this is the name that will appear on the seal)
• Address
• Email
• Twitter
• Website(s)

Did you pay for:

• Verification Only
• Verification and Promotion

Which Verified Seal will you display on your website?

• Online Therapy Institute
• Online Coach Institute
• Both

Products or Services Offered: (choose all that apply)

• Client Services (therapy, counselling. counseling, coaching)
• Therapist/Coach Directory
• Social Network
• Blog
• Peer Support
• Self Help
• Practice Building/Marketing
• Encryption Solutions
• Supervision/Consultation
• Education/Professional Development
• Crisis Intervention

These statements on the application are followed by a text box so that you can clarify implementation. If the statement does not apply to your product or service you will simply write N/A.

1. All data must be encrypted, including contact forms or an initial questionnaire where used.
2. The service must make informed consent/terms of use accessible from the website.
3. Users of an e-clinic must be able to tailor the informed consent/terms to their own practice as appropriate unless the e-clinic is the owner of the record.
4. The service must have a clear protocol for security breaches.
5. The service should follow security/confidentiality standards within their jurisdiction, such as HIPAA in the US or the Data Protection Act in the UK.
6. The service should provide downloads or links to required notices, such as HIPAA Privacy Policy in the US.
7. E-Clinic and similar services should perform routine back-ups on a remote server. Private practitioners should be sure files in their possession are stored securely via encryption on a hard drive or flash drive and/or backed up to a remote server.
8. The service must provide an emergency number or website clearly displayed for clients in crisis, such as the Samaritans or Befrienders International (a link to www.befrienders.org is recommended).
9. The service must explain the pros and cons of online therapy/coaching and indicate when it may be inappropriate, signposting further resources.
10. Professional affiliations must be listed on the website, including complaints procedure for each organization where applicable.
11. Therapists/Coaches must obtain identifying information from clients, unless the work setting is specific to crisis. Clients should not remain anonymous past an initial appointment setting consultation. Instant access to therapists and coaches should be used as part of the initial screening and not as a way to conduct coaching or therapy.
12. A phone number or VoIP number must be listed on your website as an additional form of contact, as well as a mailing address listed on your website for the purposes of redress correspondence (non-personal contact information is recommended).
13. Where jurisdiction requires you to have a license or certification, verifiable information must be posted on your website, via hyperlinks where possible.
14. E-Clinic services should authenticate that providers are licensed and in good standing, and indicate how this is verified to potential service users.
15. All providers should carry malpractice insurance and specifically ensure that they are covered to practice online.
16. The provider should list training related to online therapy or coaching on the website, such as certificate training or Continuing Professional Development/Continuing Education Units if relevant.
17. If Directory services offer the ability for consumers to “rate” services or give comments, the listing or site owner should have the ability for this feature to be moderated or disabled.
18. If the service is a social network, the provider must discourage the use of an open and public forum for the purposes of consultation and referral among professionals.
19. If the service is a social network, members should be allowed to moderate/modify their own blog and forum comments.
20. If the service is a social network, the provider must discourage discussing or referencing client information in blog posts and forums.
21. If the service hosts a blog, the site owner or administrator must moderate comments to avoid personal or sensitive information being posted.
22. If the service hosts a blog, the blogger(s) must avoid discussing or referencing client information.
23. If the service hosts a blog, the subject and “intention” of the blog must be obvious to the reader.
24. If the service offers facilitated peer support, the service should either offer training to peer volunteers or recommend compulsory access to third party training for peer volunteers.
25. Peer-support and self-help websites that offer forums or interactive interventions should be encrypted.
26. If the service offers self-help materials, all information must be accurate, cited and referenced appropriately.
27. Practice Building websites that assist practitioners in marketing their services via the Internet and traditional means should understand the unique ethical considerations for online therapists and coaches, including the maintenance of a professional web presence.
28. Products and services such as website builds, form makers, virtual assistants and encrypted products should understand the unique ethical considerations for online therapists and coaches.
29. Sites offering education about therapy/coaching should offer or recommend courses that reflect best practice in the fields of psychology, mental health and coaching.
30. Sites offering education about therapy/coaching must state clearly the qualifications of the trainers/instructors with verifiable links as appropriate.
31. Professional organizations should specifically state as a minimum on the website their aims and objectives and membership policies.
32. Crisis intervention services must clearly state the boundaries and parameters of the service on the website.
33. Within crisis intervention services, it must be made clear that anonymous clients are accessing crisis services and not contracted counseling services on the website.
34. Thank you for supplying the information requested within this application. If there is any other information or explanation you wish us to be aware of, please use the space below to do so.

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service.

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This work by Online Therapy Institute, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Please do not reproduce this application or list of questions for any other purpose without proper reference to our Get Verified Program.  Copyright © 2012