Instructions

• 1). Request consent from your client before videotaping a session and/or a series of sessions. Clearly explain why you want to record and what benefits recording will have for all parties involved.
  
  If your client agrees, move forward with videotaping. If your client rejects the request, continue the session as usual.
  
  
• 2). Explain to your client the details of the video, including how the tape will be used. Be sure to tell the client who will watch the video. Tell the client when the video will be deleted. These details should also appear in the consent form that the client will sign.
  
  
• 3). Be sure that the consent form has been reviewed and is returned dated and signed by the client.
  
  Sign and date the form, and/or ask for the signature of a supervisor monitoring the videotaping session. Print a copy of the consent form to give to the client, and keep one on file for yourself.
  
  
• 4). Set up the video camera on a tripod away from windows. When a camera is pointing away from windows, it will properly record without the interruption of light. Overexposure can cause shadows and prevent viewers from seeing facial expressions and actions that may be an important part of the videotaped session.
  
  
• 5). Tell the client when you have started taping the session, and remind the client to focus on the session, not the camera. Speak clearly, and make sure the client is not mumbling.
  
  Following the videotaping session, press "Stop" on the camera. After review of the tape by all approved parties, erase the video. Because you are responsible for the highly confidential information, erasing the video will ensure that a video leak will not occur. A potential leak could lead to a lawsuit. Clients would have the right to sue you for jeopardizing their privacy.