Effective marketing can sway a potential client to make the courageous decision to enter treatment. However, industry leaders caution that cavalier and unethical practices must be avoided because they are detrimental to the reputation of the industry as a whole.

Particularly for substance-use treatment, case studies are one of the proven tools that help encourage potential patients to seek services. But case studies require careful consideration to ensure patient privacy and to safeguard long-term recovery.

“You want to apply the principles of common sense, fair play and the golden rule,” says Bob Ferguson, director of Jaywalker Lodge, and a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) ethics committee.

Ethical guidelines

NAATP revised its code of ethics a year-and-a-half ago, and one of the issues brought into focus was the practice of misleading or deceptive marketing tactics, including those that could reveal a client’s identity.
Read more at Behavioral Healthcare.