Can confidentiality rules sometimes be a disadvantage to you

In my culture it would be weird and intrusive to do more than smile and say hello to anybody you know when you run into them, unless it is a very close friend, or somebody you haven't seen in a while so you want to catch up with them. So when I meet T in the street, which has happened three or four times, we both smile and say "hi" and then move on, just like with all other acquaintances. He acknowledged me first, the first time that happened.

As for telling others that I'm in therapy, I don't, with very few exceptions. In most cases because it simply doesn't concern the other person, and in a few cases because it would hinder my therapy to do so. Three of my friends know, and my boss, and that's all.

It's the same rules in the UK as well (Client to make the first 'move').

I've never seen my T out! I did see a t who took my initial session once at Uni, and we just smiled as we walked past each other on the street.

If I saw my T and she blanked me, I think I'd feel awful, knowing her, I'm sure she would smile first (I'd like to hope).

i saw my T in a restaurant, he was coming in as i was coming out. he was singing a song (lol) and just stared at me and didnt say anything. i didnt say anything either and left. our next session he said i seemed to be uncomfortable. i guess i was. but i was glad that he stuck to the confidentiality agreement. it showed me that he knows what hes doing

HIPAA states that mental health professionals can NOT acknowledge you first in a public situation

It is very different for different people, I personally think that boundary lines with you Therapist change depending on the setting you are in, some people don't agree with that and I am OK with their point-of-view on it.

I just took a look at some HIPPA information, and could night find that rule anywhere. Will you please share a link with the exact article you got this information from?

i dont have an article. im a resident in a residential treatment center but i have my own place. so i see the staff in town a lot. they told us that they cannot acknowledge us if they see us in public unless we acknowledge them first because of HIPAA. i doubt they would make up a rule like that. they said it to us to help us know why they might not say hello. so we dont feel like they are ignoring us

In that case I'm grateful that my T is not bound by HIPAA ;-) It would feel very weird if he were to cut me dead when we meet in the street. If I was walking with somebody else he might choose not to acknowledge me first since he knows that most people don't know I'm in therapy. But since nobody would ask me who he was, saying hi would not be a problem.

They made it up. HIPPA does not address the issue at all. They are just telling you what they were told. It's an individual decision learned in training. I certainly understand why individual therapist and facilities have that rule, but it is not regulated by HIPPA or any government entity from what I have read. My ex therapist believes in it. For me it just wasn't going to work to cure my craziness. My culture overly greets everyone.

T tells clients in their first session that since we live in a small area it is likely that they will run into each other so her policy is if you run into each other she will only say hi and nod. If the client is welcome to stop her and talk more but she would not stop them. She actually said last week that she runs into clients ALL the time in the grocery store and this seems to work fine.

Accounting of disclosures of protected health information.

I think it would be considered a disclosure.

Eta - because someone could assume something from their greeting you, like that you had a boob job from a plastic surgeon saying, "hey THEY look great!"

If I see T in public so far I have always been with people who know about her. It has only been the the grocery store and well if I go to the grocery store and my family all have met her before. However, if something has come up in conversation with others I refer to her as a friend (she knows this)

I doubt I would recognize the woman out of context. I do not want her to acknowledge me if she recognized me, which I doubt she would.

I think that if you see your Therapist at a place like the grocery store than that is OK, but in social situations I think that socialing some is also appropriate.

i agree. I have never run into T at a social type event but I know that it wouldn't be an issue for us...

Well like I said earlier, I saw someone who looked a lot like a former Therapist of mine (but don't think it was her) at a music festival last Sunday.

Of course, that would depend on her being open to a good amount of socializing as well; not all therapists would allow that. They might say hello, and then excuse themselves because they may not want to socialize with clients or simply be busy spending time with the people they came with.

That is true (and if I was with someone I would probably not want to spend that much time socializing with them) but my current Therapist does agree that if we see each other in a social gathering that it is OK to chat some and I do hope that this carries over to my next Therapist.