Personal-Counselor

Confidentiality And Privacy

Confidentiality is crucial to the therapeutic process. I believe that talking to me online is as safe as talking to me in my office is. We therapists consider it our sacred duty to protect the confidentiality and privacy of our clients, whether we work with clients online, by telephone, or in a face-to-face setting. I will safeguard your personal information just as I do for clients I see in my office.

But, having said that, I must admit that confidentiality has never been, and is not now, 100% perfect, either online or face-to-face. But while I cannot guarantee confidentiality 100%, there are steps that can be taken to improve privacy. The single most important thing that can be done to improve security is for you to safeguard your privacy on your end. Do NOT send me email from your computer at work – your employer has a legal right to see your email! And when using your home computer, make sure only YOU have access to your email. The least likely security breach is that someone will intercept our correspondence while it is in transit. I have investigated the newest, most effective methods for improving security of correspondence by email. I’ve learned that having a third party intercept our correspondence is highly unlikely, and I’ve investigated the types of security systems now available. Unfortunately, these security systems have two major drawbacks: they are very expensive, and they make correspondence between us cumbersome instead of it having the ease and convenience it has currently. For now, these disadvantages outweigh the benefits, in my opinion.

As far as the privacy of your personal information is concerned, let me assure you that I will never intentionally disclose any of your personal information to anyone. I will never give your name, email address, or any other identifying information, to ANYONE.

However, there are three important exceptions to the confidentiality rule I've just stated. State law in Maryland and in every other state in the US requires these exceptions as well, I believe. First, licensed therapists are required to notify the appropriate authorities in cases where we learn about child abuse. Second, we are required to notify the appropriate authorities if a client makes serious, credible threats to harm themselves or any other person. Third, the courts can subpoena information from me in certain unusual legal situations. If any of these three situations were to occur, I would discuss the need to break confidentiality with you, if possible, before doing so.