Why cyber security is so important for therapists
Therapists are becoming an increasingly prevalent part of people’s lives as an increased focus on better mental health gives more people the confidence to seek assistance when it is required.
There is also a greater need for therapists than ever before. Government data says that people seeking mental help from the NHS is at a record high, with the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdowns a chief reason why many have found themselves struggling.
Sadly, this increase in demand may also catch the eye of cybercriminals. A huge rise in online crime is another unfortunate hangover from the pandemic.
If you run a therapy business, it’s important to be aware of the risks to your business when you are using computerised systems and tools.
What information do cybercriminals want?
As a therapist, you’re no doubt used to working with a high level of discretion when it comes to the information that you and your clients share.
However, it is not necessarily this information that cybercriminals are likely to target.
It’s likely that you will keep records of your patients. Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses – possibly even payment and banking details. These can be extracted and sold by criminals or used to impersonate people in order to open fraudulent bank accounts, while your calendars may give indications of when patients will not be at home.
What to look out for
Random messages from unknown sources – known as phishing – is a classic tactic used by criminals.
If you receive a message on your phone or email asking you to follow a link or provide certain bits of information – ignore it. If you employ someone to provide IT services, they may be able to prevent these messages from reaching you in the first place.
Some cybercriminals may attempt to directly hack into your systems – this is where having strong protection in place is vital.
How to overcome these threats
So how can you mitigate against the threats of cybercriminals? Let’s take a look:
- Precaution: Being prepared for the worst can help to lessen the impact if it does unfortunately come to pass. A strong counsellors insurance package should contain cyber cover to give you assistance in the event of something going awry.
- Prevention: Be vigilant at all times and, if you employ staff, be sure to make them aware of the potential dangers of communicating with unknown persons.
- Protection: Password-protect anything on your systems that contains personal data from clients – or yourself. Make sure that different systems are protected by different passwords too – this way, your entire dataset cannot be wiped in one simple step for criminals.
