[tinker10]

I had a really weird experience with a new psychologist today. She was big on rules, strange naysaying and paperwork and low on feeling comfortable to me. She would ominously emphasize things to me that I'd signed off on in the paperwork (pretty run of the mill stuff) at the same time she was telling me it was no big deal, maybe. Unless it was!!! Boo!

My question is that she told me she requires that I give her consent to talk to my psychiatrist in order to treat me. Not because I have something especially wrong with me, my meds are under control for years and I'm voluntarily seeking therapy. This strikes me as paternalistic and intrusive and implies that I can't be trusted to know myself or be truthful and forthcoming in therapy. Honestly, it strikes as kind of controlling.

She claimed that this was simply the standard of care, and patients felt empowered by being compelled to sign off on this and having various caretakers communicate. She said that any therapist I went to would demand the same thing. Is this true? I have been to other therapists and this has never been true.

[BlackPup]

Never had a therapist ask to talk with my pdoc but I know some people's do. To demand it if you seem uncomfortable about it seems a bit weird. I would suggest go with your gut feeling and if you don't like this T then get a different one. You have to feel a bit comfortable with your T cos we talk about such challenging stuff with them.

[bunnifoo]

Under my current care I'm seeing my therapist and pdoc at the same mental health center so they have access to each other's notes and can talk to each other. It's also required that I sign paperwork for my pdoc and GP to have access to each other's notes, etc. Which has turned out really helpful in terms of looking at blood work - I had some done by my pdoc, then went to see the GP, and there was a question about something so the GP just went into the system and double checked.

I don't know if it's required, but previously I've always signed paperwork and consented that my pdoc and therapist could talk to each other and I also made sure to include the GP. It made sense to me that occasionally they might have to talk to each other or get access to notes, but I don't think that they ever did.

That being said, if you don't feel comfortable with your current therapist then maybe you should try and find another one.

[Seaswept]

I have been to several therapists over the years and none of them ever demanded that of me. I remember one asking and it wasn't a big deal when I didn't sign it.

I agree with Black Pup, go with your gut. The title of your post say's it all: Icky new therapist.
There are plenty of other therapists out there. Good ones.

[Anika.]

Mine did, and I did have to sign off. Canada tho, public health care,so I wasn't seeking out therapy on my own or privately. I think I would not have had to sign off it that had been the case tho.

What seems weird is when she said " patients felt empowered by being compelled to sign off on this".... Really? How would that be empowering?

Compelled...
1. To force, drive, or constrain

2. To necessitate or pressure by force

3. To exert a strong, irresistible force on; sway

Hmm sounds empowering... I would ask her to clarify what she meant by empowered. Not only that.. her telling you that other patients felt empowered and compelled to do so seems manipulative.. reads like the definition of compelled. And maybe that is why they felt compelled, plus she said demand, not request. I can see why you feel uneasy about it.

[Gaijin]

I always want medical providers to have access to records from other medical providers. This saves me time and money, and helps ensure more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

And it surely IS the standard of care. A therapist who didn't check on your past treatment, possible drug reactions, etc. might well be considered negligent. Patients don't always remember or accurately report these matters.

I don't understand the objection. If you want to hide something from your current therapist, then you're just wasting your and her time.

[tinker10]

Originally Posted by Gaijin

I always want medical providers to have access to records from other medical providers. This saves me time and money, and helps ensure more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

And it surely IS the standard of care. A therapist who didn't check on your past treatment, possible drug reactions, etc. might well be considered negligent. Patients don't always remember or accurately report these matters.

I don't understand the objection. If you want to hide something from your current therapist, then you're just wasting your and her time.

Why do you say it is the standard of care? Is it written down somewhere as a universal standard of care? By whose authority? Is it the law?

It is not a matter of hiding anything from my therapist. Did I say that I wanted to hide something from my therapist? Nope.

I have a problem with being compelled to sign a document allowing the new therapist (who I don't know at all) to obtain information (personal private information) from my other practitioners to use in an unknown way, and also convey personal private information (as filtered through the new therapist) to caregivers I already have a relationship with.

Therapists do not require information from psychiatrists the way that GPs do. GPs and psychiatrists share responsibility for medical care and need to be aware of the patient's physical health and prescriptions in a way that a therapist simply does not.

Her demand of me presumes, without knowing me, that I am not able to report the basic information from the psychiatrist that might be relevant to talk therapy. She doesn't need to know detail. Her demand that I allow her to talk to my psychiatrist is not conditional on my actual behavior and level of responsibility, rather she wants to obtain rights to certain information without knowing whether that is necessary.

I am a well functioning, responsible, mature person. I do not want to be managed by by my doctor/therapist higher ups as if I was not the major player in the care of my psychological well being. It is I who responsibly seeks medical care for my condition, and it is I who shows up in therapy of my own volition to work hard on myself in a completely non-medical modality. I don't see why I should necesarily be obligated to force these two together.

From the outset, her approach implies that I cannot be trusted to be forthcoming, responsible and tell the truth. This is a bad way to start therapy. If a therapist shows distrust for me from the outset, then I find it difficult to trust the therapist and therapy becomes unlikely.

[hamster-bamster]

No, it is always optional. The word "consent" implies that it is an option - you may give consent or withhold it. She is paternalistic, your intuition is correct, and you should trust you gut feeling.

[Eliza Jane]

Sounds like she has been burned into the past. Perhaps a client became psychotic and she wanted to talk to the pdoc and couldn't. Or a million other things...

My sense is that some therapists do this and some don't. If you don't like her, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Best,
EJ

[Ash0198]

My psychologist and psychiatrist do this too...they already had somewhat of a relationship since my psychologist already knew my pdoc. My pdoc just asked if this was ok and I was fine with it. It's good in a way that they can compare notes to see what the best treatment is for me. But as the others have said...and ur message from us is to go with what u feel the most comfortable with.

Hope all works out for u