It’s worth looking into what they mean with testimonial. I think (and ChatGPT supports me on that), that it’s mainly about collecting getting clients to write about their experience with the intention of then sharing that writing publically.
Not a testimonial: A therapist emails former clients asking, “Are your treatment outcomes still beneficial?” and later publishes anonymous statistics (e.g., 80% reported lasting results).
Likely a testimonial: A therapist emails former clients saying, “Can you share your experience with my therapy so I can post it on my website?”
This ban should not be a problem for a therapist or coach who wants to reach out to former clients to track results.
This morning I realized the guideline I was referring to is only for current clients, not past clients. There may other guidelines against soliciting testimonials from past clients but I’m not sure
Agree with your point on testimonials vs data collection, too
In fairness, it does make sense—much of therapy is built on the client divulging all of their most intimate secrets to the therapist, which then gives the therapist a lot of leverage and potential for extortion if they want to extract positive testimonials afterward. Making testimonials illegal ensures the clients never need to worry about that possibility, and can just safely share their intimate secrets.
It actually turns out to be illegal for therapists to collect long-term testimonials, sad.
Edit: Wait this is only for current clients. Past clients may be fine…?
It’s worth looking into what they mean with testimonial. I think (and ChatGPT supports me on that), that it’s mainly about collecting getting clients to write about their experience with the intention of then sharing that writing publically.
ChatGPT suggests:
This ban should not be a problem for a therapist or coach who wants to reach out to former clients to track results.
This morning I realized the guideline I was referring to is only for current clients, not past clients. There may other guidelines against soliciting testimonials from past clients but I’m not sure
Agree with your point on testimonials vs data collection, too
In fairness, it does make sense—much of therapy is built on the client divulging all of their most intimate secrets to the therapist, which then gives the therapist a lot of leverage and potential for extortion if they want to extract positive testimonials afterward. Making testimonials illegal ensures the clients never need to worry about that possibility, and can just safely share their intimate secrets.