Has your therapist ever broken confidentiality?

[Guest_0932]

Hi,

Has anyone had a therapist break confidentiality and if they did, did they tell you first or just do it?

Or does anyone know if you disclose past issues of someone maybe doing wrong to you while you were a child or adolescent but you an adult now, but still in contact with the person and currently at no risk of harm do they have to break confidentiality and report that still because it was wrong at the time and you still see the person?

Obviously I know if you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else they have to tell...but what if someone harmed you and it was years ago but the person is still in your life but hasnt done anything for a long time? Surely they dont have to report/record that cause of statue of limitations?

[Croix]

Dear JesAH~

Welcome back, I remember talking wiht you from a year or so ago in

Forums / PTSD & Trauma / Fragmented memories.

I hope that your memory processes have become clearer and you can now place remembered events in context in your life successfully .

Here you have a more practical problem, you may well on the one hand feel it is necessary to disclose details of past events in order for your therapy to be effective, but at the same time you do not want anything to happen to the person involved - who is still part of your life.

All professionals have a duty to report matters relating to the abuse of minors as well as circumstances where a person is in current immediate danger to themselves or others. I guess in some cases this would be a judgment call by the therapist, and in your shoes I'd sound your therapist out in a "hypothetical" situation.

The statute of limitations applies in the USA, not Australia,

It is not simple, failure for you to relate something that has had a big impact on you mental health (maybe even more than you realise) would be a huge barrier to your continued treatment being effective, as might your relationship wiht this person

So talk it over. You therapist can lay out the options, his possible moves and their probable consequences, then take it from there. Mind you I'm sure any competent therapist will be able to guess pretty quickly as to the facts of the matter.

Please let me know what you think

Croix

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi JesAH,

Thanks for your post.

Part of breaking confidentiality with child abuse is related to the Child Protection laws, so that requires professionals to disclose either suspicions or evidence of child abuse or neglect.

Given that you're now an adult, these laws no longer apply to you.

I hope this helps,

[Guest_0932]

Hi Croix,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I did talk with you back then and it was helpful as was your answer for this post. I did end up discussing with the therapist despite being quite nervous about asking. They were able to talk it through with me in greater detail and explain more about the confidentiality. It really helped and I was able to talk something over with them that I hadn't before. It was difficult but I think it in the long run it will probably be a good thing. Thanks again.

[Guest_0932]

Thank you romantic_thi3f. It did help and I appreciate the time taken to reply. Thanks again.

[Croix]

Dear JesAH~

I'm very glad you went that way, I was worried this problem would lock you out of getting help from your psych, as you would not want to get this person into trouble. That would have been a horrible thing to happen

Talking abut past events does help, though in my own case I've been very slow indeed in getting to the stage where they can be talked about -a work in progress I guess.

Croix

[grt123]

I live in a country town and the public mental health service has an appalling reputation. One of my work colleagues was out one night and their receptionist staggered up drunk and wanted to chat about my colleague's confidential information. I was referred to them once myself and during my apointment I realised they had read my husband's file in preparation for my appointment. I never went back.

[Montana]

In an Australian hospital environment where most hospitals are treated like hotels for people with "mental illnesses" to check back in any time they like to catch up with their friends it happens all the time....