CSR's Journal

As one of the mental health advisors for Daily Strength, I thought I would talk about the work of therapy. For some, the thought of seeing a therapist is fraught with anxiety, fear and often uncertainty.  I have had many questions in my own practice about the issues of confidentiality and have even discussed it a bit on the site.  What information is actually "confidential" and can you really feel safe baring your soul to a complete stranger?  Well that is, in fact, the very essence of therapy.  It is a place where you should be able to feel free from judgments and safe in the knowledge that your therapist's only agenda is your mental health.  Now it is not a perfect world and the rules are unfortunately broken at times but this is one of  the reasons it is so important to seek out a therapist, through recommendation, who has a good reputation and who has had no disciplinary action against them by their state board.  So in short, everything you say to your therapist is confidential and even the fact that you see your therapist is confidential.  There are exceptions to that rule which vary state to state but for instance, in California, the only reason a therapist may break confidentiality is if you are a danger to yourself or someone else and in certain cases of abuse. Because of these rules, by which your therapist is governed, should you see your therapist in your community they should not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge them first.  This is only one simple example of how therapists must strictly adhere to the guidelines. There are also very specific rules governing the relationship between patient and therapist (which I will discuss at a later time).  I hope to be able to demystify the therapeutic process for those of you who are on the fence about seeking counseling and to clarify some basic principles of the profession.