Full name, credentials, and location in profiles is encouraged but PSEUDONYMS ARE ALLOWED!

Upon request, we are happy to give members two accounts – one with full professional credentials in their profile and one under an anonymous pseudonym. (Lemmy software requires TWO different email addresses for this – sorry.)

Mental Health Professional is broadly defined – but is not limited to – licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, professional counselors, nurses and doctors interested in mental health, etc. Also includes any psychiatric facility staff, bachelor’s level social workers, paid crisis hotline workers, professional association staff and lobbyists for APA, ACA, NASW, etc,; and regional/state licensing board staff. Staff of government health departments. It’s a broad list – just be employed in mental health and able to prove it easily.

WHY PSEUDONYMS?: Lots of professionals are uncomfortable with posting where their clients can see. Some professionals are members of targeted minorities (LGBTQ+, black, polyamorous) and want to be able to discuss such professionally without being doxxed and targeted. This server is Federated – which means you can also join non-professional discussions on other instances and maybe you don’t always want to have to represent as a professional! We are allowing a wide variety of professionals here – sometimes people will need to say something unofficially that they could not with their job title attached.

WHY VET CREDENTIALS? There are plenty of other excellent public instances. This instance is for mental health professionals. We want members to be able to know in discussions that if another poster’s account is LOCAL on this server, that they are in some way a colleague. We also want to afford those WHO WANT TO a chance to represent themselves professionally from a home instance that is professional.

WHY SO BROAD A GROUP? It’s rare for mental health professionals of all sorts to mingle. As a former psychiatric day program director, I learned the high value of listening to my para-professional bachelor’s level staff. I learned that our VAN DRIVERS often had as much insight into clients as therapists given the long van rides home. My kitchen manager employed clients so she had a different insight into their recovery than other staff. Ask yourself – when was the last time a psychotherapist and a mental health department staffer able to just chat?

BUT THERE IS NO PRIVACY It would be nice if Lemmy had an opportunity to designate specific communities as closed. We may do this in the future if it becomes possible. Right now we judge that the value of world-wide federation is more important. So only say things you could have a client or member of the public read.