The following is a statement on the use of testimonials on psychotherapy websites:
I have never included testimonials on my website and certainly intend never to add these to any advertising campaign. In fact, there are many websites that publish testimonials and the problem with these is that they are unverifiable and breach confidentiality. Whether the client minds or not about this is irrelevant. The fact is that, by writing something on your website, their confidentiality has been breached. At some later date, they may regret having given you permission to publish their thoughts and feelings to the rest of the world. They might also feel embarrassed that certain friends of theirs, or business acquaintances/work colleagues might find out that they have seen a therapist and this might cause problems both at home and amongst friends and family but also at work. The ramifications of this are endless.
As a professional psychotherapist, I am in a position of responsibility, and I maintain all my clients’ full anonymity and confidentiality, thus adhering to the ethical code of the UKCP.