Quote:
Originally Posted by Xynesthesia
Hi, I am familiar with these official regulations but in my experience with therapy so far, I don't see how they could possibly be applied to me. I'll explain. I've only seen therapists in private practice so far. None of them had ever made me read or sign any consent forms or confidentiality statements. They never asked for my home address or emergency contact. So I doubt they could go forward with any of those actions, simply because they don't know where to find me other than phone numbers, email addresses, and the name of my employer. Are these therapists doing something wrong?
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They actually can (and must legally) proceed with actions as long as they know your name and phone number. When they have to report something they'd just give whatever information they have and then the police or other agency like CPS or APS will find whatever other information they need.
But to answer your question if they are doing something wrong by not having you sign forms about their policies including confidentiality and by not getting your home address and emergency contacts, it's not wrong in the sense that it's not illegal but it's a very unwise practice. If anyone ever files a complaint or lawsuit, they wouldn't be able to build a strong defense if they can't show that the client signed that he or she understood their policies. The major reason why we sign papers in our society is for legal defense.