[Updated 12-09-14 based on the American Counseling Association’s March 2014 Revised Code of Ethics]
This is the ninth part of an 11 part series on How To Build A Great Marketing Kit.
Before you read further, you may want to read the introduction here.
Client Testimonials are a key part of any marketing kit. After all, these are the people who can speak with authority about your strengths (and weaknesses). Their experiences can go a long way in supporting potential clients to initially consider working with you. In transparent and ethical ways, you need to gather testimonials or other data in support of your effectiveness and clients’ satisfaction with your services.
This piece of your marketing kit may look like quotes or letters of reference. If you opt for either of these, make sure that you have omitted or disguised all identifying information for your clients.
If you have been gathering data from your clients and want to use statistics to represent your clients’ experiences with you, your testimonials may look like statistics i.e. “Ninety-nine percent of Tamara’s clients say that they were satisfied with her services” and “Ninety-eight percent say they would return to use her services again if needed.”
When using statistics, it is critical that you have collected the data in an organized and consistent manner. Don’t just fabricate numbers that sound good. That could be considered unethical and false advertising.
Either way, you will want to put a human face on those testimonials. Be ready to back them up with [composite] stories . . . about your clients’ presenting problems, how working with you was unique, and how your [composite of] clients were better off for the time they spent with you.
Can you give any further suggestions on how to ask clients for a testimonial? Do they need to be clients who are no longer in treatment with you or is it ethical to ask current on-going clients?
Hi, Jesse! Thanks for dropping in here to chat!
It’s not ethical to ask clients for testimonials. And, in some states, it might even be considered illegal to do so. One of my favorite places to solicit testimonials from is my colleagues. Other places that you can gather evidence of your good work is via presentations and classes that you teach and through much of the volunteer work that you do. If you sit on a Board of Directors or you coordinate a charity event . . . . These are places to consider asking for evaluative statements of your work. The only place you cannot ask for testimonials is from your counseling / psychotherapy clients.
Thank you for a terrific website. As I build my career counseling practice, I will refer to it regularly and intend to contact you directly soon, if nothing else to thank you.
I’m not so sure that all client testimonials are out of the question. I wonder about career counseling when the nature of the work is goal-driven and specific to finding a job. Here is the ACA code of ethics passage on testimonials. I (and attorneys I’ve shown it to) interpret the passage to speak directly of present/past or others “who may be vulnerable to undue influence.” The passage goes on to state that the counselor must discuss WITH CLIENTS the implication and use of testimonials.
I’m interested in your take on this…. my very drafty and very new website DOES include testimonials. My prospective clients have told me that they are important in their decision making process. I’m open to changing the format, but since I’ve screened and carefully selected which client I asked such that none of them are vulnerable to undo influence… why not keep the testimonials as is? THANK YOU! 🙂 Catherine
http://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
C.3.b. Testimonials
Counselors who use testimonials do
not solicit them from current clients,
former clients, or any other persons who
may be vulnerable to undue influence.
Counselors discuss with clients the
implications of and obtain permission
for the use of any testimonial.
Catherine, thank you for taking time to drop in this afternoon, spend some time on my website, and to ask this question. It’s a great question – particularly because this post is so old that I had forgotten some of what I had written. Given the March 2014 revisions in the American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics, I need to write a new post in line with current standards of practice. Please disregard this and let me get some new information up within the next month to better address this issue. In the mean time, I’ll ask a colleague or two to drop in and address your more specific question.
The only limitation I see is the consistent discussion in the NCDA ethics about client confidentiality. In this case, I would err on the side of caution and be sure there are no identifiers for the client. I teach Ethics and pretty much always suggest erring on the side of caution.
Dee, thank you so much for taking time to drop in to address this issue. I was think about this from ACA’s newest Code of Ethics and didn’t even stop to think about NCDA’s. Thank you for expanding the focus.
Catherine, you didn’t mention . . . What is the professional Code of Ethics that you adhere to?
Hi all, great thread…..
As a career counselor, I’m bound by the NCDA code of ethics first. (see preface of NCDA below body of this message)
The NCDA code of ethics says this:
C.3.b. Testimonials
Career professionals who use testimonials do not solicit them from individuals who may be vulnerable to undue influence.
I identify those who do NOT qualify as vulnerable to undue influence as those who came to me for career counseling services specific to job search and have since been employed with no further need of my services for at least 6 months.
This topic is complicated, and is really about LPC professional identity and the conflicting nature of certain codes, and lack of codes by certain categories of providers.
As my practice evolves to one of therapist, I will consolidate the statements I have now into broad statements as Tamara illustrates elsewhere (X number of my clients say Y about my services) and I’ll seek testimonials from colleagues.
Thanks for the great insights. I appreciate this forum! Catherine
————————————————————-
http://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/3395
NCDA, one of the founding associations of ACA in 1952, is a current division of ACA. The NCDA Ethics Committee endeavored to follow the structure of ACA’s Code so that the two codes would be compatible with each other, while developing, adding, and enhancing profession-specific guidelines for NCDA’s membership.
Thanks, Catherine, for staying engaged with this thread.
I really appreciate hearing what the takeaway is for your guys!
I also want to point out that while you may identify one of the professional Codes of Ethics to take priority over another, it is my understanding that our licensing boards, professional associations, and the courts do not.
I have repeatedly been counseled by attorneys that when we belong to multiple professional associations who have different standards of practice and even different codes of ethics, therapists should defer to the most conservative / restrictive practice among them.
I often see the rub between counselors who belong to both the American Counseling Association and the American Christian Counseling Association.
The other cautionary note I would add is that while you may define “vulnerable to undue influence” one way, the professionals in your geographic area may define it differently.
“It is complicated” so make sure that you are doing your own due diligence with consulting in your own back door when making judgement calls like this one.
Ultimately, the risk falls back on you.
I appreciate your voice here, Catherine, and look forward to hearing how your transition in private practice goes!
I think you are right! I will defer to the strongest of the two. Interesting to think about how best to assure our clients’ understanding of WHY we aren’t using client testimonials, so maybe they can use that information in making a decision of whether to purchase services from one provider over another. Okay, back to work for me! 🙂
Hi, Catherine, I just noticed that you don’t have a little photo of you that shows up with your comments here (and on other blogs, too). They are called “gravatars.” Using a gravatar helps others get to know and trust you quicker.
Here’s a link to a quick tutorial that shows you how to set up your own gravatar http://www.allthingsprivatepractice.com/how-a-tiny-picture-of-you-can-help-drive-traffic-to-your-website-or-blog/ . (Don’t worry! It’s so easy that even I could do it and it’s absolutely FREE!)
And, related to talking to clients about testimonials, I think Keely Kolmes, Psy.D. does a really nice job of addressing this in her Private Practice Social Media Policy.
When I do training on therapist’ online presence or the use of social media for mental health professionals, I offer several examples.
But Keely’s policy is really the standard bearer for me and she has been very generous with sharing her thoughts and her policy with other professionals.
Got it! Thanks for the Gravitar heads-up! Just read a few articles elsewhere and find this site to be really helpful. Thanks too for the policy pointer.
🙂 You’re so welcome!
And, happy to pay it forward! I have had lots of help along the way!
Hi Catherine,
Using testimonials is a slippery slope. While they can be very effective – the risks involved with using them, in my opinion, far outweigh their usefulness – at least in a traditional advertising manner. You mention the ACA Code of Ethics so I will base my comments on this.
As you mention, Section C.3.b. prohibits soliciting testimonials from current or former clients. You are correct, the key wording in this part of the code is in regard to a client, past or present being “vulnerable to undue influence.” While this may seem like something that is easy to judge – it really isn’t.
How do you determine who will be unduly influenced and who will not? The very nature of the therapeutic relationship is based on a power differential – the therapist as the “expert” and the client/patient as the person seeking help from the expert. For much the same reason we are not to establish non-therapeutic relationships with current or former clients (sexual or otherwise).
We should also avoid putting them in a place where they may feel like they have to agree to our requests in regard to any subject. This can happen with even those clients/patients that we perceive to be “psychologically” strong.
One important thing to consider is how you would use a testimonial statement in an ethical manner, specifically in a way that protects that client’s right to confidentiality? In order to avoid breaching client confidentiality, a therapist can most certainly not post a client’s first and last name, nor any other identifying information about the client without obtaining a written waiver of confidentiality.
The privilege of confidentiality belongs to the client, and he or she can certainly waive that right – but you cannot waive it for him or her. Of course, asking a client to waive confidentiality can quickly lead you down the path of exerting undue influence (actual or perceived) in regard to a client.
The bottom line is that the best approach is: DO NOT SOLICIT CLIENT TESTIMONIALS. For any reason. Period. You may, however, let clients know that you always appreciate referrals – without asking them to provide them.
The truth is, that the best kind of testimonial is word of mouth – with a client freely and without prompting, telling others how great your services are. This not only protects the client’s right to confidentiality, but is a more believable and effective form of marketing.
Hope this helps. 🙂
Michelle
Michelle, thank you so much for taking time to share your thoughts on this question. I think about my relationships with my physician and my accountant when this question comes up. Although I often refer people to them for their fabulous services, I wouldn’t really want them to ask me for a testimonial – although I certainly might offer to provide one. The reason I wouldn’t want them to outright ask me for that testimonial is because I would wonder how I might be treated differently if I said “no.”
Surely our clients, too, must wonder if they would be treated any differently or thought about any differently if they did not provide a testimonial . . . .
Regarding solicitation. An increasing number of web-based applications used by a range of professionals (example below by a chiropractor) who require scheduling, use of credit cards, etc. integrate the ability to include a “review” by customers. They are integrated into advertising systems.
These tools are becoming ‘traditional advertising.’
http://www.genbook.com/bookings/slot/reservation/30106446. The professional has the ability to set all reviews so the client can select anonymous or initials only, and I think the professional can identify certain services as including the ability to leave a review, and hopefully has other editorial capabilities.
Is there a difference between “offering the ability to leave a review” and actually soliciting one?
Lots of doctors, accountants, etc. use online reviews and the trend is increasing. My dentist’s office sends an auto message after service requesting a review on up to 4 internet search tools and provides a range of incentives such as free whitening products. I’m NOT suggesting that therapists should do this, but to Tamara’s post about doctor and accountant use of testimonials, it’s happening.
The increasing use of products like genbook will change the landscape of how counselors, therapists and coaches market services. For better or worse, the broad client market doesn’t understand the alphabet soup of professional designations (and the various codes of ethics), and will be drawn to providers who use testimonials because that’s a key factor in purchase decisions when a provider is found online…. especially with younger and/or net-savvy audiences.
I just looked at Angie’s List to review their list of service categories. Therapists are included along with doctors of all sorts. Customer reviews are weighted heavily in Angie’s List. Use of such products is an undeniable trend. Just interesting to think about how this discussion will change in the coming years!
Catherine, it is interesting and it is exciting, too, to see the changes coming down the road.
I’m old enough to remember when physicians and mental health professionals could not advertise our services at all.
I believe in some states, attorneys are still restricted from certain types of advertising.
My understanding is that “offering the ability to leave a review” can be construed to be the same as actually soliciting one.
I know this is frustrating – especially for younger professionals.
While I understand the risks of utilizing client testimonials, I am hopeful that a more moderate and reasonable stance in the future will allow us to do so within certain limits.
Excellent insight, Tamara! While the term “undue influence” often sounds more sinister – the examples you gave demonstrate how easily it can happen in a seemingly innocuous situation.