Unit 8: Publishing your content: Notes for therapists
Privacy and care; getting content to clients
Creating customised media for a client introduces some privacy and security issues, especially if you are using their name in the recording.
Creating content for general consumption via download from the internet or public access via a cloud service such as YouTube also brings special issues to consider.
Keeping your computer secure
Windows computers have been plagued with security issues for many years and hackers frequently make use of vulnerabilities to write viruses and malware that make you and your client’s data open to theft. If you are using Windows, it is recommended to have anti-virus software installed.
Recently, publicly available data on therapists has been used to tailor therapist-centric ‘phishing’ emails claiming data breaches have occurred when, in fact, no such breach has happened.
The first step in maintaining data security is therefore to run an inherently secure operating system such as Linux. MacOS has some viruses, however it shares similar underpinnings to Linux and so is inherently more secure.
The second step in data security would be to keep a separate work computer, however that is simply impractical for many therapists.
Why is security important? Because you will have to give your file to your client in some way, and while the most secure way is to give it to them on a USB memory stick, if you have a virus on your system it may well copy itself onto the memory stick too.
Personalised recordings for private use
There are a number of ways of sending a client a single mp3 file, however sending any private information over email is not to be recommended.
Have a look in the table below for a comparison of some methods that you may use. In today’s smartphone and computer centric world, consider using file transfer services such as Firefox Send along with email so that your client’s security is maintained.
Public access recordings
There are two ways to make media available to the public:
- Pay-walled recordings
- Free recordings available on-line via services such as YouTube
Pay-walled recordings
These are recordings that people can purchase. They may be made available via a shopping site such as Shopify or GumRoad, or they may be on your own website, for example using WooCommerce.
In the case of recordings held on your own site, or on a membership service, it is possible to make them available to clients only after a personal consultation, thus ensuring the right fit for the client.
Online recordings
These are publicly accessible and may either be on your website, or they may be hosted by a third party site such as YouTube or SoundCloud.
Insurance implications for global use
- The act of putting a recording online behind a pay-wall means that it is accessible by everyone, no matter what country they come from
- Many indemnity insurers will only insure therapy in the country you are practising in, or will require top-ups to your premium to insure you for other regions
Insurance implications for public access
- Not all countries have the same data or consumer protection policies and to gain insurance for recordings you may need to adhere to policies laid out by foreign lawmakers
- Putting a recording online for public consumption means that you cannot vet clients for suitability before hand
- Some indemnity insurance policies will not cover publicly accessible content against court action