[pamelasu]

She turned in my Pilates teacher for stressing me out....I found out today when my Pilates teacher was talking about it to my little sister and me. I didn't realize that my therapist was going to do that, but it was for the best!! My teacher shouldn't have stressed me out the way she did so I'm glad it happened.

I don't know what "turned in" your Pilates teacher means, but it kinda sounds like your therapist betrayed your confidence if this was something you said in therapy. Also, what about HIPPA? I'm looking into whether the hospital violated my HIPPA rights by informing my internal med doctor about my recent trip to the ER for an overdose. I don't remember signing anything to give them permission to pass on info. to her, but then again, I blacked out & don't remember much of the trip. Perhaps I did sign something that I don't remember. I'm wondering why the nurses & doctors at the hospital couldn't tell I wasn't rational & able to sign legal documents. I sure don't think I should have been given anything to sign when I was so impaired.--Suzy

[pamelasu]

She turned her in meaning that she reported her to her boss and to the college board. And I'm not angry that she did it because I know that she is just looking out for the best for me. I am however going to talk to her about it today because she did kind of break the rules to do this. I didn't sign any forms for her to release infromation like that to any one except my doctor. And even then she is only allowed to talk about my treatment not anything else.

[JustBen]

I'm glad you're going to talk to your therapist about this. Even if you agree with what she's done and are happy with the outcome, that was a very serious ethical breach. If she's willing to break confidence whenever she feels its in your best interest, chances are good that she's going to break it sometime when you don't want her to.

[Merlin]

Suzy,

Doctors have the right to violate confidentiality in the event that someone is a danger to themselves or others: your overdose meets this requirement. They would only do this if they believed it would aid your treatment though.

Merlin

I agree it was definately an ethics breach of your confidentiality. No therapy professional has the right to go to anyone else in their clients life without being asked and given persmission to do so to discuss that client and whether or not that client is upset by what ever that teacher, lawyer, doctor and so on is putting the client through.

Therapy professionals can consult with the parents of their minor (under age 18) clients if they feel there is a problem.

Therapy professionals can talk to the police if their client is a danger to themselves and or others.

But they are legally bound by confidentiality and ethics laws not to fight their cleints battles and or reviel any conversations that are taking place within the therapy sessions to anyone other than the mental health treatment team ie psychiatrist, therapist psychologist with in the agency where the person recieves their mental health treatment.

According to HIPPA what your therapist did is grounds for her being fired and loss of license. How do I know this because a DHS caseworker found a therapy letter in a box of things for my son. That DHS caseworker was fired and lost her social workers license for opening reading copying and distributing that letter. The civil rights office that prosecutes HIPPA was going to go after my therapist for accidentally leaving that letter in the box of things that I gave her to deliver to the DHS office. They told me the reason they were going to go after my therapist was because under HIPPA a therapist is bound by law NOT to reviel ANYTHING that goes on with in the therapy sessions without the clients signing a release of information form and that form must be updated EVERY 6 months, to remain active.

You may agree with the fact that she took what you told her during therapy and went outside of therapy to this teacher but now that she has done this and you are showing her your support for her breaching your therapy session information with another person outside of the therapy room what about situations like -

her taking something like you telling her someone hit you or whatever and she takes what you say about that abusive person to that abusive person and says pamelasu told me what you did to her bla bla bla bla..

or you telling her you are having problems with sex with your significant other and she takes what you say about that to your significant other.

These ethics laws are there for a reason not just for a therapist to use their own opinion of who they can and cant talk to about you and what situations they can talk to people about you about.

The ethics laws are there to protect the client from being in danger by the therapist revieling information to those the client is havings problems with and anyone outside ot the therapy room.

I would not be surprised if that palates teacher wants you out of the class or starts comming down on you for a therapist "tattling" on what you said during therapy and trying to fight your battles for you.

Therapists can on the other hand ask you if you would like the person you are having a problem with to join in with the conversation by coming to the next therapy session that way you yourself can tell the person what your problem with them is and how you would like to fix the situation. and if so have you sign a release of information form so that the therapist and you can talk about your problems with the third person being present.

therapists can set up a meeting anywhere where you, your therapist and the other person are all present to discuss the situation if you sign a release of information form.

But to go to other people outside the therapy room without a signed release of information form is illegal and unethical and grounds for the therapist to lose their job and license.

Merlin: Thanks for the info. That must have been the reason my doc was told about my trip to the ER. It was interesting that my doc didn't bring up the episode when I saw her two weeks later. She waited for me to bring it up, which I did, because I was crying pretty badly in the waiting room (requested to be moved into a room--very embarrassing to be bawling away in a waiting room).

It makes sense that the HIPPA laws don't apply when there is the chance of someone hurting themselves or others. Luckily, I'm doing better. Thank God for medications.--Suzy

[Perna]

HIPPA is health records/written information. Not talking. No way talking can be policed really, he said/she said sort of situation. Therapists usually ask if it's all right with you to talk to others but time/"emergency" constraints probably outweigh them.

[pamelasu]

Thanks everyone for all the information and I will keep this all in mind!!

[(JD)]

I don't know all the circumstances. Are your T and instructor both through a college you go to perhaps? Maybe they have another agreement in effect? Perhaps you did sign something to that effect, if it's all through an institution. With that said, it seems to be on the edge of things...and she should have discussed it with you before doing or saying anything imo.

There is what is called "Professional Confidentiality" where professionals, especially psychologists, psychiatrists, and medical doctors agree to discuss joint patients with each other and not betray the information to anyone else or in another way. Now though, you usually sign a paper that allows it anyway.

I don't follow with why the instructor could have contributed to an overdose? I hope I'm missing something here We all make our own choices, as you learn to respond better to stress and untoward remarks and events, your choices will be less harmful to you. TC!

Sky, the overdose was MY doing, NOT the original poster. (Just wanted to clear up any confusion I may have inadvertently caused--the Pilates instructor situation didn't involve an overdose) I was just wondering about HIPPA in her circumstances with the Pilates instructor & therapist & mentioned how the hopital notified my doc about my ER trip. Sorry if I confused you.--Suzy