Scope and ethics of psychologists’ use of client testimonials on professional websites

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dc.contributor.authorLacroix, Emilie
dc.contributor.authorDobson, Keith S.
dc.contributor.authorvon Ranson, Kristin M.
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-30T14:43:42Z
dc.date.available2023-05-30T14:43:42Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractBackground: Testimonials are statements on behalf of current or former clients that may comment on the abilities, qualifications, or personal characteristics of a health care provider, or attest to outcomes experienced after receipt of services. Although the use of client testimonials in promotional materials is prohibited by both the Canadian Psychological Association Practice Guidelines and by guidelines or legislation in a majority of provinces, a portion of registered psychologists’ professional websites may still display client testimonials or link to third-party provider rating sites (e.g., RateMDs.com, Yelp.ca). With little oversight by governing bodies, the scope of this practice is unknown. This article examines how often testimonials appear on the websites of Canadian psychologists and group practices, and discusses ethical guidelines and issues surrounding this practice. Method: We examined the professional websites of practicing registered psychologists (N = 433) selected from the provincial directories of five provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec). Results: Of sampled websites, 4.2% included client testimonials, 1.2% explicitly solicited testimonials, and 1.4% included links to external provider rating websites. Of the testimonials displayed on psychologists’ websites, 38.9% contained potentially identifying information. Conclusions: Client testimonials are used by psychologists in Canada despite national guidelines against this practice. Although clients who provide anonymous testimonials are unlikely to be harmed by this practice, there is still a risk of harm occurring. Furthermore, because testimonials represent a highly biased source of information, their use may reflect poorly on the psychology profession.
dc.description.copyright© American Psychological Association, 2018-08-01. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000123
dc.identifier.doi10.1037/cap0000123
dc.identifier.issn1878-7304
dc.identifier.issn0708-5591
dc.identifier.urihttps://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/22608
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAmerican Psychological Association
dc.relation.hasversionhttps://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000123
dc.relation.ispartofCanadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne
dc.rightshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.subject.disciplinePsychology
dc.titleScope and ethics of psychologists’ use of client testimonials on professional websites
dc.typejournal-article
oaire.citation.endPage238
oaire.citation.issue3
oaire.citation.startPage232
oaire.citation.titleCanadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne
oaire.citation.volume59
oaire.license.conditionother
oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_ab4af688f83e57aa

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