Effective Date: July 2026
Website: www.honestlyocd.com
Contact: info@honestlyocd.com

1. Purpose of This Policy

This Social Media and Online Content Policy explains the purpose, scope, limitations, professional boundaries, and safety practices associated with Honestly OCD and the online content shared through this platform.

Honestly OCD was created to support:

• OCD awareness and psychoeducation;
• reduction of shame, misinformation, and stigma;
• compassionate and accurate conversations about intrusive thoughts and taboo OCD themes;
• reflection on mental health, trauma, healing, wellness, and recovery;
• connection to credible information and appropriate professional resources; and
• greater public understanding of experiences that are frequently misunderstood or kept hidden because of fear and shame.

Content may include general educational information, professional perspectives, personal reflections, lived-experience insights, and resources related to OCD, mental health, trauma, wellness, and approaches to healing and well-being.

The intention is to make information more understandable and accessible, reduce isolation and stigma, and contribute to thoughtful and compassionate public dialogue.

2. Psychoeducation and Stigma Reduction—not Commercial Promotion

Honestly OCD is primarily a public-education and stigma-reduction initiative. Its central purpose is not to solicit clients, pressure individuals to seek services, or commercially promote a counselling practice.

Content is created to:

• improve public understanding of OCD and related mental health experiences;
• challenge shame, stereotypes, and misinformation;
• normalize appropriate help-seeking;
• share general psychoeducation and reflective information; and
• encourage safe, ethical, and informed conversations about mental health.

Any reference to my professional role, qualifications, experience, or available services is provided for transparency, context, public accountability, and informed decision-making. It should not be interpreted as a promise of results, a claim of superiority, or an attempt to persuade a person that they require my services.

I do not use fear, vulnerability, personal distress, urgency, testimonials, guarantees, or unrealistic claims to influence people to enter counselling or purchase services.

Where information about professional services is provided, it will be presented truthfully, accurately, respectfully, and without misleading or exaggerated claims.

3. Educational Content Only

All content shared through the Honestly OCD website, social media accounts, articles, videos, captions, stories, comments, newsletters, interviews, or other public-facing spaces is provided for general educational and informational purposes only.

Online content is not:

• counselling or psychotherapy;
• psychological or medical advice;
• an individualized assessment;
• a diagnosis or differential diagnosis;
• a treatment recommendation;
• exposure and response prevention therapy;
• crisis intervention;
• clinical supervision; or
• a substitute for individualized care from a qualified professional.

Mental health experiences are individual, contextual, and complex. General information shared online may not be appropriate for every person or circumstance.

Anyone with questions about their own symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, medication, functioning, or safety should consult an appropriately qualified mental health or medical professional.

4. No Therapist–Client Relationship

Viewing, following, liking, commenting on, saving, sharing, tagging, messaging, emailing about, or otherwise engaging with Honestly OCD content does not establish a therapist–client relationship.

A therapist–client relationship is established only after appropriate steps have occurred, including:

• direct communication regarding the nature of the requested service;
• consideration of professional competence, jurisdiction, availability, and suitability;
• completion of a formal intake and screening process;
• review and acceptance of informed-consent documentation;
• discussion of privacy, confidentiality, fees, risks, benefits, and limitations;
• mutual agreement to enter a professional relationship; and
• completion of any other required clinical documentation.

No person should rely on a social media interaction, email exchange, comment, or public post as confirmation that they have been accepted as a client.

5. Public-Facing Name, Personal Privacy, and Professional Transparency

Honestly OCD is the public-facing name used for this educational and stigma-reduction platform.

For personal safety, privacy, and security, I choose not to publicly disclose all aspects of my personal identity through general social media content. This boundary is intentional and is not intended to mislead the public, conceal professional accountability, or falsely represent my qualifications.

The decision to limit personal disclosure recognizes that public discussion of OCD—particularly intrusive thoughts and taboo themes—can create heightened risks of harassment, misinterpretation, unwanted contact, stigma, or threats to personal and professional safety.

When a person contacts info@honestlyocd.com for a legitimate professional purpose, they will be communicating with the individual who operates Honestly OCD: a British Columbia Registered Clinical Counsellor.

Where appropriate to the nature of the inquiry, my identity, professional credentials, registration information, role, and relevant practice information will be disclosed transparently. This may occur when communicating with:

• prospective or existing clients;
• professional colleagues;
• supervisors or consultants;
• community organizations;
• media representatives;
• educational or training organizations;
• professional associations;
• members of the public seeking to verify professional accountability; or
• other individuals or organizations with a legitimate professional or safety-related reason for requesting this information.

This approach is intended to balance personal security with the public’s right to truthful information, informed decision-making, professional accountability, and the ability to verify credentials.

The Honestly OCD name is not used to impersonate another person, avoid professional obligations, practise anonymously with clients, evade complaints or oversight, or conceal information that a client would reasonably require before consenting to services.

6. Professional Identity and Credentials

When I identify myself as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, I am referring to my registration with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Professional credentials and registration information will be represented accurately. I will not claim qualifications, designations, licences, specialties, competencies, or regulatory status that I do not hold.

The use of professional credentials in connection with Honestly OCD is intended to:

• provide context for the information being shared;
• distinguish professional education from unqualified advice;
• support public accountability;
• allow appropriate verification of professional standing; and
• clarify the professional and ethical responsibilities that inform the platform.

Professional credentials do not mean that every social media post constitutes clinical advice or that a professional relationship has been established with people who view the content.

7. Personal Reflection and Lived Experience

Some Honestly OCD content may include personal reflections or lived experience related to OCD, intrusive thoughts, mental health, trauma, shame, treatment, healing, or recovery.

These reflections are shared intentionally for purposes such as:

• reducing shame and stigma;
• helping people feel less alone;
• illustrating general psychoeducational concepts;
• encouraging compassionate discussion; and
• challenging harmful misconceptions about OCD.

Personal reflections do not suggest that every person will have the same symptoms, history, treatment needs, recovery process, or outcome.

Lived experience may add valuable context and insight, but it does not replace individualized assessment, evidence-informed treatment, medical care, cultural support, community support, or crisis services.

I aim to distinguish clearly between:

• my own lived experience;
• general psychoeducational information;
• professional observations;
• emerging ideas or personal interpretations; and
• established evidence or clinical guidance.

8. Intentional Self-Disclosure and Professional Boundaries

Any professional self-disclosure is considered carefully in relation to its purpose, potential benefit, possible risks, public safety, client welfare, and professional boundaries.

I limit personal self-disclosure where greater disclosure could create unnecessary risks to myself, my family, clients, colleagues, community members, or the integrity of professional relationships.

When I share personal or sensitive aspects of my experience, I do so from a grounded, reflective, and intentional place. Personal content is not posted as a request for emotional support, reassurance, validation, advice, rescue, or care from followers, clients, prospective clients, or members of the public.

I maintain my own appropriate therapeutic, supervisory, consultative, cultural, and personal supports. Followers are not expected to provide care to me or to assume responsibility for my well-being.

Personal disclosure does not invite reciprocal disclosure of private or clinical information from followers.

9. Content May Not Resonate with Everyone

Mental health, OCD, culture, trauma, treatment, healing, and recovery are personal and varied.

The perspectives shared through Honestly OCD are not universal, prescriptive, or intended to tell others how they must understand themselves, seek treatment, heal, or recover.

Some information may be helpful to one person and not helpful to another. Readers are encouraged to consider their own needs, values, cultural context, professional guidance, and personal circumstances.

People are welcome to take what is useful and leave what is not. They may also pause, unfollow, mute, or scroll past content that does not feel relevant, supportive, or appropriate for them.

10. Social Media and Email Are Not Crisis Services

Social media, comments, direct messages, tags, and email are not crisis-support services and are not continuously monitored.

Messages may not be reviewed immediately. Sending a message does not mean that I have received it, assessed the situation, accepted responsibility for providing support, or determined that no further assistance is required.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, believe you may harm yourself or another person, or are otherwise unsafe, seek immediate assistance.

In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 for suicide crisis support, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Call 9-1-1 or attend the nearest emergency department when there is an immediate risk to safety or a medical emergency.

People outside Canada should contact their local crisis service, emergency number, or emergency department.

11. Comments, Direct Messages, and Online Interactions

Thoughtful and respectful engagement with public educational content is welcome. However, social media interactions are not confidential and are not appropriate for counselling, assessment, diagnosis, crisis intervention, or detailed personal disclosure.

Please do not send or post:

• detailed health or mental health histories;
• descriptions of current crises;
• identifying information about another person;
• confidential client or workplace information;
• graphic descriptions of harm;
• information that could place someone at risk;
• requests for diagnosis or individualized clinical advice; or
• information you would not want publicly disclosed or retained by a technology platform.

I may not respond to comments, emails, tags, or direct messages. A lack of response does not indicate that I have assessed the person’s circumstances or concluded that support is unnecessary.

I may remove content, restrict interactions, block accounts, or report conduct where engagement is:

• threatening, harassing, discriminatory, or abusive;
• sexually inappropriate or exploitative;
• stigmatizing or deliberately harmful;
• directed toward identifying or exposing private information;
• misleading, fraudulent, or impersonating another person;
• clinically inappropriate;
• graphic or unsafe;
• spam-based; or
• inconsistent with the educational purpose of the space.

12. Email Communication

The contact email for Honestly OCD is:

info@honestlyocd.com

Email may be used for general professional inquiries, collaboration requests, media inquiries, educational opportunities, questions about the policy, or preliminary inquiries about services.

Email is not guaranteed to be completely private or secure. Please provide only the minimum information needed for the inquiry and avoid sending detailed medical, psychological, legal, employment, or other sensitive information until an appropriate and secure communication process has been established.

An email exchange does not create a therapist–client relationship, guarantee acceptance as a client, or establish an obligation to provide services.

Where an inquiry concerns professional services, further information about identity, credentials, registration, informed consent, privacy, availability, jurisdiction, and service suitability will be provided before any professional relationship begins.

13. Clients, Former Clients, and Prospective Clients

Current, former, or prospective clients should carefully consider the privacy implications of following or interacting with public mental health content.

Liking, following, commenting, tagging, or sharing a post may reveal information about a person’s interests, experiences, or possible connection to mental health services.

To protect confidentiality and professional boundaries:

• I do not publicly identify anyone as a client;
• I will not acknowledge a client or former client in a public forum;
• I do not discuss clinical matters in comments or direct messages;
• I do not provide therapy through public or informal online interactions; and
• I do not ask clients to follow, endorse, review, or publicly engage with Honestly OCD.

If a client initiates a public interaction, I may limit or decline to respond in order to protect their confidentiality. This should not be interpreted as rejection or a lack of care.

14. Testimonials, Reviews, and Endorsements

I do not request testimonials or public endorsements from current clients.

Public testimonials may create privacy, consent, power, boundary, and accuracy concerns. They may also create unrealistic expectations about treatment outcomes.

If someone independently posts a public comment about a professional experience, I may not respond, confirm the relationship, repost it, or otherwise engage in a manner that could reveal that the person is or was a client.

Educational collaborations, professional acknowledgements, or peer endorsements will not be represented as guarantees of competence, suitability, or treatment outcomes.

15. Professional Boundaries and Individualized Advice

Honestly OCD content does not replace formal counselling and is not intended to create informal therapeutic relationships.

I do not provide individualized:

• counselling or psychotherapy;
• diagnosis;
• assessment;
• case formulation;
• reassurance about intrusive thoughts;
• exposure exercises;
• medication advice;
• risk assessment;
• treatment planning; or
• crisis intervention

through public posts, comments, casual messages, or general email exchanges.

Questions that require knowledge of a person’s history, symptoms, risks, health, relationships, culture, or circumstances cannot be responsibly answered through brief social media interactions.

16. OCD, Intrusive Thoughts, and Sensitive Content

Honestly OCD may discuss:

• intrusive thoughts, images, sensations, feelings, urges, or doubts;
• taboo OCD themes;
• harm-related or sexual intrusive thoughts;
• relationship, religious, moral, contamination, health, or identity-related obsessions;
• suicidal or self-harm obsessions;
• trauma and shame;
• anxiety and depression;
• stigma, avoidance, compulsions, and reassurance-seeking; and
• treatment approaches such as exposure and response prevention.

This content is intended for education and stigma reduction. It is not intended to provide reassurance, confirm or rule out a diagnosis, conduct exposure therapy, assess risk, or provide individualized treatment.

Where appropriate, content notices may be used. However, it may not be possible to anticipate every topic or phrase that a person could find distressing.

Readers are encouraged to make informed choices about engaging with sensitive content. Anyone who feels distressed or unsafe should pause, step away, use established coping or grounding supports, and contact an appropriate professional or crisis service when needed.

17. Reassurance-Seeking and Compulsive Engagement

Because reassurance-seeking can be part of some OCD presentations, I may not answer questions asking me to confirm that:

• a thought “means nothing”;
• a feared event will not occur;
• someone is definitely a good or safe person;
• a person does or does not have OCD;
• a specific action was morally acceptable;
• a memory is accurate or inaccurate; or
• a feared identity, diagnosis, or outcome can be ruled out.

Declining to provide reassurance is not a clinical intervention and does not mean that I have assessed the person or determined that they have OCD.

People seeking individualized help should consult a qualified professional with appropriate OCD training.

18. Privacy and Confidentiality

Social media platforms are public or semi-public environments. They are not confidential clinical spaces.

Platform operators may collect, store, analyze, disclose, or transfer information according to their own privacy practices and terms of service. Honestly OCD cannot control how third-party platforms use information.

Users should review the privacy settings and terms of each platform and avoid sharing information they wish to keep confidential.

I take reasonable steps to protect information received through professional channels. However, absolute security cannot be guaranteed for social media, ordinary email, or internet-based communication.

19. Accuracy, Evidence, and Limitations

I aim to share information that is thoughtful, ethical, and informed by relevant professional education, clinical experience, lived experience, consultation, and continuing learning.

However, social media content is necessarily limited. A post cannot capture every clinical nuance, exception, cultural consideration, research limitation, or individual circumstance.

Where possible, I will distinguish between established information, professional opinion, personal reflection, and emerging ideas.

Mental health research, terminology, professional standards, and accepted practices may change over time. Older content may not reflect the most current knowledge or guidance.

Content may be clarified, corrected, updated, archived, or removed when appropriate.

Errors brought forward respectfully may be reviewed. Corrections may be made where information is found to be materially inaccurate or misleading.

20. No Guarantees or Claims of Outcome

Honestly OCD does not guarantee that any resource, perspective, treatment approach, or professional service will produce a particular outcome.

Recovery and treatment responses differ among individuals. Factors such as health, access to care, culture, relationships, environment, discrimination, finances, disability, trauma, community support, and treatment fit can affect a person’s experience.

References to hope, healing, improvement, or recovery are not guarantees and should not be interpreted as promises of results.

21. External Resources and Collaborations

Honestly OCD may share articles, books, podcasts, videos, organizations, professionals, training opportunities, research, or other external resources.

Sharing a resource does not necessarily mean endorsement of every statement, service, belief, business practice, or position connected with that resource.

Users should independently assess whether an external resource is credible, current, culturally appropriate, safe, and suitable for their needs.

Participation in an interview, collaboration, event, or professional discussion does not imply endorsement of every view held by another participant or organization.

Paid, sponsored, affiliated, or compensated content, should it ever occur, will be clearly identified.

22. Intellectual Property and Sharing Content

Unless otherwise stated, original Honestly OCD content is protected intellectual property.

Content may be shared using the platform’s built-in sharing functions with the original attribution, context, and account information intact.

Please do not:

• remove attribution;
• materially alter content in a misleading way;
• present content as your own;
• use content to harass, shame, or identify another person;
• reproduce substantial content for commercial purposes without permission;
• use content in training, publications, presentations, or organizational materials without appropriate permission; or
• imply endorsement, partnership, or professional approval where none exists.

Requests to reproduce or use content may be sent to info@honestlyocd.com.

23. Professional Inquiries and Requests for Services

Questions regarding professional collaboration, education, consultation, media, presentations, or possible services may be directed to:

info@honestlyocd.com

Submitting an inquiry does not guarantee:

• a response within a particular period;
• professional availability;
• acceptance as a client;
• suitability of services;
• practice within the person’s jurisdiction;
• insurance coverage; or
• the establishment of a professional relationship.

Before services are offered, appropriate consideration will be given to competence, scope of practice, conflicts of interest, jurisdiction, safety, capacity, service fit, and informed consent.

Where I am unable to assist, I may encourage the person to seek another qualified provider or appropriate service. This does not guarantee that a specific referral will be available or suitable.

24. Concerns About Professional Conduct or Identity

Honestly OCD is committed to transparency, ethical communication, and public accountability.

A person with a legitimate question about my identity, credentials, registration, professional role, or the operation of this platform may contact:

info@honestlyocd.com

Appropriate identifying and professional information will be provided where reasonably necessary for verification, informed consent, safety, professional collaboration, or accountability.

Registered Clinical Counsellor status may also be independently verified through the public register maintained by the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

Nothing in this policy is intended to prevent a person from:

• asking questions about professional qualifications;
• verifying registration;
• raising a concern;
• seeking independent advice;
• contacting the relevant professional association; or
• using an available complaint or public-protection process.

26. Changes to This Policy

This policy may be amended to reflect changes in:

• professional or ethical standards;
• legislation or privacy requirements;
• social media technologies;
• platform practices;
• services or professional roles;
• safety considerations; or
• the scope of Honestly OCD.

The most current version will be posted on the Honestly OCD website.

Material changes may be identified through an updated effective date.

27. Contact

For questions about this policy, professional inquiries, identity or credential verification, collaboration requests, or preliminary service inquiries, contact:

Honestly OCD
Email: info@honestlyocd.com
Website: www.honestlyocd.com