2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
There are seemingly obvious and boring topics in our profession. It would seem, what is there to talk about and what to discuss? But then another story happened - about the client's photo posted on the social network, about the client information taken out in the public space. And if a story happened, if the experience of real clients shows that the obvious in theory is far from always being fulfilled in practice, then it’s worth returning to it again and again.
Psychotherapy is an intimate process. There is a lot of openness, nakedness, vulnerability in him. And without care and safety, this process can become traumatic and destructive.
The safety of the therapeutic space is also ensured by ethical rules, the first of which is confidentiality
What does this mean?
1. A psychologist / psychotherapist has no right to disclose information that he learns in the course of work. There are a few exceptions to these rules, and you should be told about them (exceptions) before the work begins, so that you have the opportunity to decide for yourself whether this is right for you or not.
2. Written, audio, video recordings and photos of what is happening at the consultation / group / training are made only with the permission of the clients. You have the right to disagree with recordings and filming and insist that they not be taken.
3. Any records must be kept confidential. They cannot be posted on social networks, on the pages of psychologists, etc. There are different opinions as to whether a psychologist has the right to ask for information about you (someone thinks that this is possible; I believe that it is not). But without your permission, this cannot be done categorically.
4. Client stories should not be taken out in public space. Without your permission, no stories about you should be published, discussed, etc.
5. A professional who does not respect confidentiality violates professional ethical rules.
Several recommendations for clients
1. If at the beginning of the work the psychologist did not tell you what his privacy rules are, ask questions about it. It is better to agree on everything on the shore and from the very beginning make it obvious to both parties what is happening in psychotherapy.
2. If you feel that the recording / filming is unacceptable or uncomfortable for you, tell the therapist about it and discuss it. You have every right to disagree with what is not right for you.
3. If your therapist asks for permission to write a text about you, listen to yourself - do you want it, do you need it and, most importantly, why do you need it.
4. If confidentiality is violated (your photo, your story or any information about you has been disclosed), clarify this situation with your therapist. If this has not been done (the psychotherapist does not go into discussion or thinks that nothing has happened), you can ask the question to the professional community of which the psychotherapist is a member. Many communities are now setting up ethics committees. This work is in its infancy, but it is progressing.
Failure to respect confidentiality is a serious business violation. Sometimes this does not happen due to malicious intent, but due to inexperience, unconsciousness or oversight. We are all not without sin, and ethical rules, like any safety rules, are written in blood, i.e. empirically. Likewise empirically, every psychologist and every client comes to understand that these rules are not empty words.
And when we once again face a violation of privacy, we would like it not to be a reason to stigmatize someone or start a witch hunt, but a reason to think about your position on this issue and how it is refracted in reality. Moreover, some issues of ethics and confidentiality are still controversial.
For clients - to ask the question, am I paying attention to my feelings and not brushing off the feeling that the boundaries are violated? Am I the same full participant in the therapy process as my therapist? Do I allow myself to say “no” if I am not satisfied with something in therapy?
For colleagues - to remind ourselves that we work for the client, for the client, for his benefit. And, accordingly, ask the question of why I am doing this or that action in a public space - writing a text with a client story, posting photos from the training, etc.? Answer honestly and seriously, is there any benefit to the client? Or am I now pursuing some of my own goals that have nothing to do with the client's therapy?
And, perhaps, in this way our professional community will move towards civilization and meaningfulness.
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