Hi Richardb3,
Thank you for posting to the forums so openly and honestly.
We're so glad you've come here and asked this question as well "
What will happen if you tell your psychologist how you feel suicidal sometimes" as you don't want your family to know this about you.
Due to privacy laws, this information remains confidential, and no-one will know this at all. Your psychologist cannot tell anyone anything you tell them, unless it falls under mandatory reporting requirements. Mandatory reporting requirements state that if someone states they are about to hurt themselves or someone else (or disclose information about the abuse of a minor), there is a legal obligation to report this and to take any required action to ensure safety. If you are not in any immediate danger this does not fall into this category. Thinking about suicide and actually having a plan to do something are two different issues.
As you are over 18, you are also considered an adult, and this means that your therapist wouldn't disclose ANY information about your sessions with anyone without your written and signed consent.
Also, because we are worried about your wellbeing, we have reached out to you privately.
If you feel like talking to one of our counsellors (phone or webchat), or perhaps even KidsHelpline, you should know that these calls are also confidential and cannot be shared with your family either. However, if you do disclose an immediate risk, we will need to work with you to keep you safe.
We'd love to let you know that we actually have a suicide safety planning app called
Beyond Now. Please have a look at this as it's worth your time. You can even go through it with one of our counsellors, or from
Lifeline if you like.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Kind regards,
Sophie M
