Every time you describe your work to the public, you are making a public statement. A website bio, a conference slide, a flyer, and a quick social media post all count. The ethics standards for these moments come down to two questions: is it true, and does it protect the people you serve?
Why it matters
Families often choose services based on what they read online. If an agency promises outcomes it cannot deliver, families lose time and money, and the field loses credibility. Social media adds a second risk: one photo or comment can identify a client to thousands of people, and shared content cannot be fully pulled back.
On the exam, expect scenarios about testimonials, client content on social media, a hired marketer's claims, outcome data, and credentials. The right answer protects the client and keeps claims accurate.
Key ideas
- Truthful and not misleading. Statements about your services, research, products, training, and credentials must be accurate and grounded in research and a behavioral account. A statement can mislead through what it implies or leaves out, not only through what it says outright. Avoid promises such as guaranteed results or a "cure," and say who outcome data include: a success rate that drops clients who left early overstates results.
- Represent credentials exactly. Use your actual credential and degree. An RBT who is completing fieldwork is not a BCBA yet, and a doctorate in an unrelated field should not be presented as if it were in behavior analysis.
- You own what others say for you. If you hire a marketer, partner with a company, or let a colleague promote your services, you remain responsible for those statements. Review materials before they go out, and take reasonable steps to correct misstatements you discover.
- Testimonials have rules. Do not solicit testimonials for advertising from current clients or their caregivers; the ongoing service relationship makes it hard for them to say no freely. Testimonials from former clients can be used with consent when you note whether they were solicited, disclose your relationship, follow applicable laws, and tell them where it will appear and that they can withdraw it.
- Separate personal and professional social media. Client information and images never go on personal accounts. On a professional account, post client content only after informed consent, add a note that consent was given and the content should not be copied or reshared, and monitor the account to catch misuse.
- Keep public advice general. In a post, comment thread, or interview, share general, research-based information. A recommendation for one person's case needs an assessment and a service relationship, not a public reply.
- Credit others' work. Get permission to use someone else's materials, cite the source, and do not present it as your own.
- Label nonbehavioral services. If you also offer something that is not behavior analysis, such as yoga or massage, keep it clearly separate and state plainly that it is not behavior analysis and falls outside your BACB certification.
Definitions
- Public statement: any communication to the public about your professional services, work, products, or qualifications, in any medium (ads, websites, social media, interviews, presentations, publications, and printed materials).
- Testimonial: any recommendation from a client or stakeholder affirming the benefits of your services. Once you ask for it, it is solicited. An unsolicited review on a site you do not control can stand, but you do not reuse it in your ads.
- Informed consent: permission given by someone with the capacity to give it, after they understand what will be shared, where, for what purpose, and that they can decline without any effect on services.
- Misrepresentation: stating or implying something untrue about your credentials, experience, outcomes, or the evidence for a procedure.
Examples from a session
Public statements in practice
- The clinic website. Carmen, a BCBA, drafts a bio that reads "Board Certified Behavior Analyst with 6 years of experience in early intervention and school consultation." She removes a line her designer suggested, "proven to eliminate tantrums," because no procedure works the same way for every child.
- The proud moment. After a home session, Dev, an RBT, wants to post a photo of Nora, age 4, holding her first completed puzzle. He doesn't. Client content never goes on personal accounts, and a location tag could identify the family.
- The conference talk. Abena, a BCBA, presents a case from her adult day program. She has written informed consent for this specific use of a short video, removes identifying details, and credits the colleague who designed the data sheet she shows.
- Non-example: the progress meeting. A BCBA walks a caregiver through graphs in a private meeting. That is a confidential clinical communication, not a public statement, so the confidentiality rules (task E.4) govern it.
Common mistakes / exam traps
- "I blurred the face, so it's fine." Other details (a school logo, a home's front door, a first name in the caption) can still identify someone, and personal accounts are off-limits for client content regardless.
- Treating a verbal okay as enough. A caregiver's quick "sure" during a session is not informed consent for public use of their child's information.
- Blaming the marketer. The behavior analyst stays responsible for statements made on their behalf.
- Answering a bad review with data. Replying publicly with session details confirms the person is a client and discloses private information. A brief, general reply inviting offline contact, or no reply, protects confidentiality.
Exam trap
When a scenario involves social media, check two things first: is this a professional (not personal) account, and was informed consent obtained for this specific use? A "no" to either usually rules an option out.
Exam trap
General information vs. individual advice: calling a step-by-step plan for one child "general information" does not make it general. When the answer depends on one person's case, choose general information plus a referral for assessment.
Quick check
Lena, a BCBA, finds a helpful token-board template in another clinician's published workbook. She wants to include it in a caregiver-training course she plans to sell. What should she do?
Related topics
- Core principles of the ethics code for behavior analysts (E.1)
- What unethical conduct risks for you, others, and the profession (E.2)
- Handling confidential information (E.4)
- Multiple relationships: types, risks, and mitigation (E.7)
- Legal, regulatory, and practice requirements: licensure, funding, and certification (E.12)