Stay Compliant: Auto-Updating Website Policies Every Therapist and Coach Should Know About
As a helping professional, adding legal policies to your website might be one of the last things on your mind as you set up your website, but it's important not to overlook this crucial step. Adding website policies and keeping them up-to-date not only protects your business; it protects your website visitors and clients as well.
However, keeping up with the latest requirements and updates can be overwhelming. In this post, I’ll help you understand why website policies are important, which policies you need, the risks of not having policies, and I’ll share the auto-updating policy service that we use at Hold Space Creative that has made the task of staying compliant SO much easier!
Why website policies are important for therapists and coaches
Website policies are important for therapists and coaches in private practice because they help protect you, your website visitors, and your clients. These policies outline the terms and conditions of using your website, as well as how you collect, store, and use client information. By having clear and up-to-date policies in place, you can help prevent legal issues and protect your visitors' privacy. Having current website policies also shows that you’re committed to providing a safe and secure online experience for your visitors.
What policies you need on your therapy website or coaching website
Each of the following policies should go on a separate page of your website, then linked in your website’s footer.
Privacy Policy
A privacy policy describes how you protect visitor data, including how you collect, store, and use their information. If your website tracks visitor data for the purpose of analytics, or if you have a contact form, email list sign-up form, or any other form that visitors can fill out, you’re likely required to have a privacy policy under multiple privacy laws.
Terms of Service
A Terms of Service (or Terms of Use, or Terms & Conditions) policy protects your business and website. This document explains your terms for engaging with your website and business, answers questions about purchases or booking (ie. refunds or cancellation fees), protects your intellectual property, outlines your warranty on products/services, lessens your liability in the case of legal disputes, and much more.
For therapists, a Terms of Service policy is also where you can clearly state that interacting with your website doesn’t represent a therapist-client relationship, or that the information on your website should not be considered therapeutic or medical advice.
Disclaimer
A disclaimer policy is important to have as a way to limit your liabilities as a result of visitors using your website and/or following your advice or recommendations. If you participate in affiliate programs, link to third-party websites, provide health or wellness advice, or provide information that could be seen as legal advice, you need a website disclaimer.
Cookie Policy
Yes, I know Cookie banners and pop-ups can be annoying, but as privacy laws around the world get more strict, they’re a crucial addition to any business website. A Cookie Policy explains what type of cookies you place on your visitors’ browsers (hint: if your website tracks analytics, or if you’ve ever run Google or Facebook ads, your website is using cookies).
HIPAA Policy (therapists only)
For therapists, you may be required to include a HIPAA Policy on your website. This policy states how you collect and protect medical information. It may be appropriate to include your HIPAA Policy within your Privacy Policy, but I recommend consulting an attorney in your area for advice on this topic.
Social Media Policy (therapists only)
A social media policy describes how you protect your clients’ privacy and confidentiality, and states your boundaries around interactions with your clients on social media. The ACA and NASW suggest having a social media policy published on your website.
The risks of not having up-to-date policies
The key to effective website policies is compliance. In other words, your website policies should be current under all laws and regulations that apply to your business. If they’re not, you could be opening your business to the following risks:
Unclear boundaries
Just as you inform clients what they can and can’t do within the context of your working relationship, you need to let website visitors know what they can and can’t do on your website. Without a good Terms of Service policy, you risk people using your website in any way they see fit - without consequences.
Likewise, without a good Privacy Policy, you run the risk of undermining visitors’ trust if you use their data or information in a way that they haven’t consented to.
Difficult to determine which laws apply to you
Privacy laws differ by state and country, so it’s important to know which laws apply to you (and then explicitly say which state/country’s laws apply to you). If you don’t and a dispute happens, you may be subject to the laws and regulations of the person who files the complaint.
Vulnerable intellectual property
Remember how much time it took to write your website copy? Remember how much money you invested in your website’s design, photos, and SEO? If someone comes along and decides to plagiarise (steal) your content, and you don’t have a solid Terms of Service, it might be difficult to enforce legal recourse.
Unclear expectations around transactions
If you’re using your website to sell products or services, and you don’t have current website policies, you may run into customer service headaches or legal disputes. Also, if you don’t have standard policies for returns, cancellations, exchanges, and/or refunds, people may not feel comfortable purchasing from your website.
Increased liability
When things outside of your control happen, like viruses, hacking, or behavior of your website visitors, you run the risk of being responsible as the owner of your website, unless you have solid and up-to-date policies.
The benefits of using auto-updating policies
If the risks of non-compliance I listed above overwhelm you, you’re not alone. And since laws and regulations for small business websites are changing all the time (and differ based on location), the task of maintaining compliance can make your head spin.
A great option for keeping your website policies up-to-date is auto-updating policies; in other words, policies that update automatically as the laws and regulations in your area change. Here are some benefits:
Save money
While working with an attorney to draft custom website policies for your website is always an option, this may not be in everyone’s budget - especially considering you’ll need to redraft your policies each time the laws in your area change.
Using an auto-updating policy service (like Termageddon) is a more cost-effective way to maintain compliance.
Maintain compliance
Policy templates are another option, but unfortunately, website policies aren’t one-size-fits-all. Plus, filling out a template once and never updating it again pretty much guarantees that you’ll fall out of compliance at some point.
Auto-updating policies, on the other hand, turn the process of maintaining compliance into more of a “set it and forget it” thing. When the laws change in your area, your policies will automatically update.
Reduce risk & liability
No matter which option works best for you, privacy and website use laws will continue to change. In fact, so far in 2023, there are six new privacy laws going into effect. When your policies automatically update according to new laws, you reduce the potential of gaps in your compliance and ensure that you and your visitors are continuously protected.
Our favorite auto-updating policy service for therapists and coaches
Our favorite auto-updating policy service for therapists and coaches is Termageddon. This service generates custom policies for your website, including privacy policies, terms and conditions, disclaimers, cookie policies and more.
Termageddon's policies are customizable to fit the specific needs of your practice and automatically update to reflect changes in laws and regulations. Plus, their policies are written by licensed attorneys, ensuring that they are legally sound and up-to-date. With Termageddon, you can have peace of mind knowing that your website policies are always compliant and protecting your practice.
We use Termageddon here at Hold Space Creative, and if you’re curious, you can check out the policies they generated for us here:
terms of service | privacy policy | disclaimers | Cookie Policy
As a creative-minded person who often struggles to make sense of legalese, Termageddon has been a lifesaver. Before discovering this auto-updating policy service, we were using a combination of policy templates and custom attorney-drafted policies, but staying on top of ever-changing laws was always an issue.
While the policy generator questionnaires took some time and energy to fill out, the policies that were generated are much more comprehensive than our previous policies and give me much more peace of mind that Hold Space Creative and our website visitors are protected.
For 10% off your first year of Termageddon, enter code HOLDSPACE at checkout!
A note for therapists: Termageddon does not generate HIPAA policies at this time.
How to implement and maintain auto-updating policies on your website
Implementing and maintaining auto-updating policies on your website can be a daunting task, but it's crucial for protecting your practice. Just follow these steps to get started with Termageddon:
Step one: Sign up
To get started, sign up here (enter code HOLDSPACE for 10% off your first year) and purchase one license (this includes one set of policies to protect one website).
Step two: Answer questions
Termageddon will prompt you to start filling out your questionnaires so that they can generate your policies. If you have questions as you go along, they have support articles linked within every question and you can always contact their support team if you need further help.
Step three: Copy & paste
Once your questionnaires are complete, you’ll receive an embed code from Termageddon. Click “copy” to copy the code, then head over to your website and paste* the code into the corresponding policy page.
*In Squarespace, insert a Code Block, then delete the placeholder code, and paste your Termageddon code. Click ‘Apply’, then ‘Save’.
From here, Termageddon will handle the rest, ensuring that your policies are always up-to-date and compliant. It's a simple and effective way to protect your practice and give you peace of mind.
Ready for a website refresh?
Shop our Squarespace templates for therapists & coaches:
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is not legal advice and should not be treated as such. You should always contact an attorney for help with your specific legal needs and issues.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that we may be compensated for the inclusion of links that are clicked on.
