a recent thread got me thinking.... how many of us really know what happens to our emails when we email our treatment providers..

heres what happens to my emails when I send one to my mental health treatment providers ...

I go into my email account, write the email. the email goes through the websites (ie yahoo, google, gmail and what ever) a copy is auto saved in my sent box and gosh knows how many internet servers

(I know that when I watch the news and some crime has happened sometimes the reports state the authorities have copies of emails they have obtained from servers and website domains so I know copies of my email somehow get saved on all the different programs that are working together to pass my email from my home computer on to my therapists office computer system. this process means my emails are not held with confidentiality, like a face to face session)

then my therapist logs on to her work computer, (or the receptionists who's responsibility to check the mail and emails does it which again means my emails may not be confidential just between my therapist and I)

a paper copy of my email is made, then this copy is stamped with date and time that they received the email. mental health agency forms for documentation.

my therapist reads the email and documents that she received the email (the documentation form requires my therapist to initialize that she received the email)

after reading through my email my therapist must fill in the therapy plan form surrounding the email (does this email require a reply, discussion, is this email and advocacy where I am asking her to go with me to do something or help me get signed up for a class or some other service besides having a face to face therapy session, is this a scheduling request... what exactly needs to be done about this email...)

if sending a reply back to me my therapist must write the email, make a copy of the email for the files and document on another form that she sent me an email...

if the email is a request for scheduling she or her receptionist calls me and documents on their call log that a scheduling call was made and a statement paper is entered into my file reflecting that a scheduling call was made.

a billing form is filled out under the services of therapy or advocacy is done.

this whole process can take anywhere between an hour and many hours but my therapist only bills for one hour of hers and the agencies time and labor (equivalent of one therapy session).

with my insurance plan I get 52 therapy sessions a year. since the mental health agency bills for their time and energy it takes to process and address the issues in my email, like a therapy session I have to be mindful of how many emails I send my therapist.

for me I value my face to face sessions as being more important than an email not to mention the confidentiality factor of face to face session, which means I rarely send my therapist and email. instead what I do is keep a journal of what I want my therapist to know or discuss / work with me on. then I hand it to my therapist during my therapy sessions.

question .... have you asked or do you know what happens to your emails that you send your therapist?