Therapists Beware

Therapists Beware

Please, please if you are a therapist do not talk about your cases in a public place. I overheard a man talking loudly in a public place just the other day. He said, “I’ve been a therapist for thirty years and I’ve never seen a couple like this. They are bad, I’m telling you, they are something else.” His statements were accompanied by loud laughter from both him and the person to whom he was giving the confidential information.

That wasn’t the end of it but I’m not going to write the details of the therapist’s discourse on that poor couple. Why not? Confidential information was being shared. It was inappropriate, unethical and degrading to his clients. I will not be party to passing it on through my blog.

Granted he didn’t mention names. But how did he know I wasn’t a friend or relative of the couple he spoke about? If I had been, he provided enough detail to allow me to recognize who he was talking about. It was a total violation of confidentiality. This type of disgusting behavior is mind-boggling and only serves to give all therapists a bad name. How would anyone seeing a therapist feel if they had a suspicion that their therapist would talk like that in a public place?

During my 30 years of practicing therapy and supervising therapists I always stressed confidentiality. It is sometimes difficult but it is a key factor in building trust. Please be careful. Keep quiet.

Stan the Man