🚫Provider Safety Policy
This section outlines Berry Street’s policy for addressing unsafe or inappropriate patient behavior, prioritizing provider safety, professionalism, and proper reporting.
At Berry Street, the safety and respect of both patients and providers is of the utmost importance. To ensure a respectful and secure virtual environment, we have established the following policy and reporting protocol for providers who encounter unsafe or inappropriate behavior during clinical sessions.
At times, providers may encounter patient behaviors that disrupt rapport, impede progress, or contribute to stress and emotional fatigue. It’s essential to understand when a situation warrants a formal reassignment or discontinuation of care. Decisions like these require thoughtful evaluation on a case-by-case basis, considering the provider’s wellbeing alongside clinical and ethical obligations and are guided by Berry Street’s Code of Conduct.
👉 This section covers:
What Constitutes an Unsafe/Inappropriate Situation?
The following are examples of behaviors that may pose a safety concern for providers in the virtual care setting:
Sexual Harassment by Patients
Unsolicited sexual/lude comments, jokes, or remarks made during the session.
Patients exposing themselves on camera or requesting inappropriate visual/audio behavior.
Repeated personal or sexual questions unrelated to care or clinical purpose.
Abuse or Aggression by Patients
Yelling, aggressive, cursing, or issuing threats (e.g., “I’ll find you” or “You’ll regret this”).
Hostile, rude or harassing behavior during, or after the session via texts, voicemails, or emails.
Using belittling, demeaning, or judgmental language toward the provider.
Racial, Gender-Based, or Cultural Discrimination
Derogatory remarks about a provider’s race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or accent.
Refusal to engage in care due to a provider’s background or identity.
Stereotyping or mocking based on cultural appearance or beliefs.
General Inappropriate comments or behavior
Comments on a providers body or appearance
Flirtatious comments
Overly familiar or invasive questions
Steps to address inappropriate patient behaviors if you experience any of the above situations:
Address inappropriate behavior or comments in real time:
Pointing out and politely addressing comments right away helps to maintain professional boundaries, respectful care, a safe space, and effective care.
Remain Calm and professional:
Maintaining composure can be difficult but your composure and professionalism improve the likelihood of being effective in addressing inappropriate behavior.
End the Session Immediately if at any point you feel unsafe:
You have the right to politely and firmly end the session early and prioritize your personal safety and emotional well-being.
Document the incident in your provider note, include a statement describing the situation and your reason for ending the session.
Use the following standardized language: “This provider ended the session early due to concerning patient behavior that compromised the safety or appropriateness of the clinical environment."
Report the Incident by sending an email to [email protected] as soon as possible. Please include the following information:
Client ID
Date of Service
Brief Overview of the Situation and what occurred during the session
Berry Street Support protocol:
Review the incident promptly.
Provide you with support and next steps, including clinical debriefing, risk assessment, and removal of the patient from your caseload and Berry Street, if appropriate.
Depending on the situation, and your comfort level, the Berry Street team will reach out to the patient on your behalf.
Maintain confidentiality and ensure that providers who report safety concerns are not contacted by the patient.
Responding to Inappropriate Patient Behavior
There’s no single right way to respond—what feels effective in one situation might not be the best fit in another. The examples below reflect a range of communication styles, from gentle boundary-setting to more assertive responses. Providers are encouraged to use the approach that feels most appropriate for the moment, considering the setting, the behavior at hand, and their own comfort and judgment.
Ultimately, the goal is to address the behavior in a way that upholds professionalism, ensures safety, and supports a respectful therapeutic space.
Sexual harassment or comments of a sexual nature/unwanted advances
"I want to make it clear that sexual remarks aren't appropriate and fall outside the boundaries of a professional setting. Our time together is meant to support your health."
"The comments you've made make me uncomfortable. It's important that we keep this space professional so we can stay focused on your care."
"If inappropriate comments continue, it will affect how I'm able to support your care. It's really important that we maintain a respectful and professional connection.”
“I will end our session early if you are unable to stop making sexual comments.”
Abuse, Aggressive behavior or comments
"I understand you’re upset, but yelling and threatening language is not acceptable. If this continues, I’ll need to end this session."
"We can only continue this conversation if it remains respectful. I'm here to support your health, but I can not tolerate abusive language."
"The way you're speaking to me is aggressive and inappropriate. If this behavior continues, I will have to report it and consider whether I can continue working with you."
"I’m no longer comfortable continuing this conversation due to the hostile language. I will follow up with next steps once I’ve had a chance to review working together."
Racial, Gender-Based, or Cultural Discrimination
"I want to be clear that discriminatory language about race, gender, or culture is not acceptable here. This space must remain respectful for both of us to work effectively."
"What you just said is offensive and inappropriate. If that kind of language continues, I will need to end the session."
"I’m here to support your health, but I won’t engage in conversations that include harmful or biased remarks about identity, culture, or background. We need to keep this space safe and respectful."
"The comments you’ve made about my identity are unacceptable. I’m documenting this interaction and will follow up to determine the appropriate next steps for continuing—or discontinuing—care."
General Inappropriate comments or behavior
"Let’s keep our conversation professional. I’m here to support your health, and it’s important we maintain respectful boundaries."
"That feels like a personal question that isn’t relevant to your care. Let’s stay focused on what brought you here today."
"I’d like to keep our focus on your nutrition and health goals. Comments about my appearance are not appropriate in this setting.
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