Confidentiality And Therapy: What To Know?

Do you know what’s the foundation of any therapy system? Confidentiality. Confidentiality is an important foundation of any therapy system; it builds a client-therapist relationship. In order to have honest conversations with the therapists, it’s important to make the client feel a sense of comfort.

It really doesn’t matter if the clients are opting for traditional therapy or online therapy, their privacy must be prioritized by all therapy systems. Confidentiality lays the basis of trust and healing. This also makes the whole therapy process effective as well.

Also Read: When Therapy Makes You More Depressed, Here’s What to Do!

In this blog, we will be taking a deep look at what are confidentiality terms in therapy and what happens when a therapist breaks confidentiality. Let’s get started!

What is Confidentiality in Therapy?

Confidentiality in therapy makes a client feel supported and comforted around the therapist. It also helps in building trust, and a therapeutic and honest relationship with the therapist. Therapists are highly trained and monitored to protect client’s privacy. Many countries across the globe have their own laws and regulations regarding the confidentiality of clients.

For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is available in Europe, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is available in the USA. A client has to sign a written permission before starting the discussion with the therapist. This ensures client confidentiality and safety. Under the signature, the company or therapy system cannot use the client’s details or information inside or outside the office.

In terms of confidentiality, the therapists are highly trained and are kept mindful of maintaining confidentiality even when they write official session notes for the clients. If the client encounters the therapist in real life, many therapists prepare their clients for the possibilities in the earlier sessions only.

Also Read: Understanding The Role And Efficacy Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Treating Phobias

For example, suppose I am a therapist and my client does not want me to greet them if they’re with someone. I shall respect their privacy and just walk past them, but if they are single, I shall pass a smile to check if they’re ready for a quick greeting or conversation or not.

What Happens When a Therapist Breaks Confidentiality of a Client?

According to laws and regulations, there are specific and clear consequences for breaching a client’s confidentiality. There are certain instances where therapists are asked to report personal information about the clients such as:

• When the client poses a danger to others or is involved in self-harm
• When the therapist suspects abuse, violence, or threatening
• When the client is legally forced by a court order

Most therapy systems include detailed explanations of laws and regulations related to the confidentiality of the client. You can read the company’s laws and regulations under the privacy policy section. Every client is asked to sign the privacy policy before entering the first session. Important headlines are always provided to the client verbally in early sessions as well. It usually protects the client from confidentiality issues before engaging in therapy.

Therapists are highly trained to not break or breach the confidentiality of any client. In order to manage confidentiality, every therapist employs a supervisor. Supervisors in therapy generally supervise a therapist’s work, make sure they’re on track and do not breach the confidentiality of clients.

If the therapist breaches the client’s confidentiality apart from abuse, violence, self-harm, or court orders, the client can take disciplinary actions or legal actions against the therapist. In such cases, termination, lawsuits, criminal charges, and other cases can be attained.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do therapists present research without breaking confidentiality?

Therapists can speak publicly about the disorder or mental health issues of clients. However, they cannot include any identifying clues such as profession, age, name, or any other specifics of clients. Generally, all therapists mention “client” in order to address any mental health issues or disorders.

2. Do therapists talk about clients with their partners or family members?

Therapists are not allowed to openly discuss their roles, clients, or job specifications with their family members or partners.

3. When can a psychologist share my private information without my consent?

Psychologists can disclose private information only when they suspect abuse, violence, self-harm, or forced by legal orders.

4. Will insurance companies see my records?

Psychologists are asked to share certain information about your diagnosis and treatment methods with the insurance companies. Health insurance companies are also bound by the laws of HIPAA to maintain confidentiality.

5. Does the psychologist tell parents about child counseling?

Different states follow different rules of confidentiality. If you’re under 18 and currently seeing a therapist, you might have to check with them if they involve parents in such issues or not.

Confidentiality in therapy helps in building client-therapist relationships. When there’s confidentiality, trust, comfort, and honesty, a client can openly discuss their issues or concerns, they feel supported and healed. To gain a better understanding of the client, every therapist or company must ensure privacy and confidentiality.

I hope this blog helps you understand confidentiality in therapy. Comment down and share your queries through the same. For more such content, connect with us through social media.

Thanks for reading!