I know a lot of people on here give their Ts artworks and crafts etc, and while I am not particularly arty in that way I write a lot of poetry that I give to my T.
My question is really whether art work and creative expression is bound by the same confidentiality as other aspects of therapy? Would you mind your T showing your art to other people?
A couple of poems in particular my T has been quite touched by, and there's nothing in them that would identify me or my specific issues, so I don't think I would actually mind if he was to share them, with say, his wife.
But I don't know whether that would be seen as a breach of confidentiality? And whether that would be the same for visual arts?

[Elkino]

What is confidentiality after all?
If a T tells something to his/her partner or friend about 'a certain client' but never tells the name of the client and makes sure nobody can link those facts to a client... I don't think anything is wrong with that. And I'm sure it happens a lot.

But of course an artwork can't be 'tweaked' (maybe a poem could, but that would definitely be a crime ;-)) and therefor I think it is more personal. You can't leave out the details of a painting when showing it as you would when telling a story... So that makes it maybe more complicated. On the other hand, as it is not a story with facts and details, it might never be clear who it comes from. But that doesn't take away the fact that it is still yours.

It's an interesting thing to think about.

I would be honored if a T would feel like sharing it with someone, but I'm sure not everyone would feel that way. So in my opinion I think a T could simply ask whether you have a problem with that, before sharing.

That's a very good question. If it's part of your therapy and not a gift, I would consider it as confidential as anything you say in session.

I had a previous therapist ask for permission to take photos of sculptures I did for herself. I thought that was pretty flattering and I let her.

[sweepy62]

I show my artwork, paintings ,poems ect.. to my t , she is also an art t, it's how I comunicate my feelings and emotions half the time. I have also showed her my FB art page I created in session . I have never gifted her a painting . I would not mind if she shares it though, i would be proud.

I have gifted my pdoc with paintings, which she has taken home, then taken a pic and showed me where she hung it. That's great, pdoc has also called another pdoc into my session which I know, with my permission to show her. I don't see it as confidential breach.

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[HazelGirl]

I think it depends. I gave my T a painting that she said she would hang in her house. It was obviously not anything related to therapy, it was a gift. So I didn't mind. But if she showed other people the journal I gave her to read, that is directly about therapy and I would feel very upset and violated if she did.

[Perna]

One of my T's gave a talk to other T's about my poetry

I don't mind if my work is shared anymore, usually I don't know it and if it is "used" somewhere, that's a form of praise (usually :-) rather than, "Gee, this chick writes really bad poetry, look at this!"?

[Leah123]

Originally Posted by Echos Myron

I know a lot of people on here give their Ts artworks and crafts etc, and while I am not particularly arty in that way I write a lot of poetry that I give to my T.
My question is really whether art work and creative expression is bound by the same confidentiality as other aspects of therapy? Would you mind your T showing your art to other people?
A couple of poems in particular my T has been quite touched by, and there's nothing in them that would identify me or my specific issues, so I don't think I would actually mind if he was to share them, with say, his wife.
But I don't know whether that would be seen as a breach of confidentiality? And whether that would be the same for visual arts?

I think in your scenario, that if your therapist shared any of the poetry or visual art with anyone beyond a supervisor that it would definitely be a breach of confidentiality. Confidentiality protects your communication in-session, and communicating via paint or poetry are both equally valuable and worthy of protection. The same standards of privacy would definitely apply it seems to me. I think it's not so much the format as it is the context- if it's in therapy, it's confidential, aside from that super short list of things like current abuse of a minor that has to be reported, etc.

[tinyrabbit]

Originally Posted by Elkino

If a T tells something to his/her partner or friend about 'a certain client' but never tells the name of the client and makes sure nobody can link those facts to a client... I don't think anything is wrong with that

There would be plenty wrong with this and a good T should not do it, even by anonymising the client.

[rainbow8]

My artwork is on display in my T's office and I don't mind at all, especially when she tells me that people admire them. The two paintings were gifts to her so she can do what she wants with them. My poems to her are personal, so I think she keeps them in my file in the office. One poem about mindfulness I told her she could share with her SE colleagues but she never did.

I think a T should ask permission to show artwork or writing to anyone if it's therapeutic work, but if it's a personal gift to the T, that's different. I think if a T would show a piece or artwork or writing to their family, they wouldn't identity the client. I do wonder if there are any rules about it, though.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Any form of breaking confidentiality should be discussed beforehand. If client agrees, then it's okay.

My T always asks before doing anything that might break confidentiality. One gift I gave her, she keeps on her shelf, but she asked if she can keep it there. I gave her some artwork, and she asked if she could show her husband.

[Depletion]

I would not want my art or anything else that I share with my T to be talked about outside of session. To me the fact that my therapist doesn't share these things that I show to her/give to her outside of session is part of what makes the therapy relationship safe and special. And if I gave her a gift I would prefer that she not hang it in her office, but that she took it home, so that it would remain in a more private space, and hence feel like the gift was something special between us. It feels a bit violating to me to think about the gift I made my T hanging around for other people to look at (but that's just me).

I would think your therapist would honor and respect your concerns, but if you want a more specific or technical answer, you may contact the APA (or a another specialty branch) and ask the experts directly:

Education and Assistance

Ethics aren't usually cut and dry. I've actually had 2 entire college courses just on ethics.

[ThisWayOut]

When it's directly therapy relayed, I believe they need a release to show anyone or talk about it with anyone other than the supervisor that reviews the t's cases. I know when I gave t artwork to hang in a community show, I needed to sign 2 or 3 copies of releases that gave them permission to show it. I also had to sign separate releases because they kept the work and hung it somewhere in the building. My name is not on it, but they still needed all sorts of permissions.
The art I gave t as a gift she asked if she could hang in her office and I was fine with it (no idea why she liked it, but whatever). Other gifts were jewelery, so I'd hope t is wearing it. She did ask what she could disclose about them if asked, and I told her I was ok with her mentioning a client made it, but not who the client was.

My t has shared my artwork with thousands of people. She always asks first if its okay, and i dont mind. Its not like all those people know me, and i dont care what they think anyway. But when my t thinks my art might help people, i am all for sharing it.