Anonymity and Confidentiality in Celebrate Recovery
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 6:13AM Hi All!
Our National Encouraging Coaches have done well in educating you about FaceBook and Twitter, but I've recently seen postings, tweets, personal blogs that are a concern for the anonymity and confidentiality of participants attending Celebrate Recovery meetings.
In this age of accessability to so many forms of electronic communication, we are well served by Small Group Guideline #1 that encourages us to share "our own thoughts and feelings", especially when it comes to mentioning what happened at CR last night or this week.
Did you stop to consider that while someone might appreciate your attention at a meeting, it may be uncomfortable when you post "it was great to see Jim at Celebrate Recovery last night". The same thing applies to a personal Celebrate Recovery blog where the author starts talking about spouse/child/friend in need of joining them in a recovery meeting. A personal blog may not mention the spouse or child by name, but I'm pretty sure friends and followers don't have to work hard to figure out who is being mentioned.
Please consider the impact your words have in making the ministry of Celebrate Recovery safe for everyone. Be especially considerate when commenting about the recovery events of your life. If you have any question about mentioning a friend or family member by name in any of the above mentioned media - always ask them before you hit "send" or "post".
I just wanted to follow up on great advice from our Encourager Coaches regarding the use of any print or electronic media.
You can always learn more about the ministry of Celebrate Recovery by attending a One Day Seminar, or the Annual CR Summit at Saddleback Church. Visit http://www.celebrateraterecovery.com for the latest information on our training events.
Celebrating Recovery - each day in Christ! - Jim