[Orvel]

When I say "who you are", I mean could your T find you if he/she wanted to? Basically it's the question of anonymity...

This was a little touchy for me because my father is a local businessman (I travel ~15 miles to a small city for my sessions). I work for him and during the first session I told my T where I work and just once referred to him as "my boss". She then asked "How do you get along with your boss?". This was the moment I knew I had to tell her and I did.

I was wondering if I should have told her the name of the company, but then again she knows my name and could have googled it easily.

I am just curious if you were paranoid about this.

[musinglizzy]

No, I'm not paranoid. Of course she has my home address, that was disclosed in the paperwork prior to starting. She also knows where I work....so I'm not hidden in any way.

I'm not I 'get' what the issue is here.
So what if your dad is your boss.

Uh, yes. He knows who I am. He knows where I work. He knows where I live. He knows my husband and my kids. He knows my parents' names, my sisters' names, etc. He knows where I go to church, etc.

It seems odd to me that your T wouldn't know that kind of basic information about you.

Yes, my therapist could find me if she wanted to. It doesn't bother me. If it did bother me, I don't know any way I'd be able to be in therapy and not have the therapist have that information unless I paid cash and gave a false name.

Are you worried that your therapist won't be discreet? I'm not clear if you have a specific worry or are just asking to see how other people feel.

For me that is not a touchy or sensitive issue at all - my T knows exactly where I work, he walks past the campus where my office is on his way to work and I think he has even asked which building my office is in.

It is interesting that you find that kind of information difficult to disclose to your therapist - maybe it is something to discuss with her, at some point?

[laxer12]

My name is listed under the staff section on my company's website and she knows where I work so I guess she could find me if she wanted to...

With social media these days, not very many people can be completely anonymous anyway. I live in a big city though so there is nothing about it that bothers me.

[Orvel]

Originally Posted by _Mouse

I'm not I 'get' what the issue is here.
So what if your dad is your boss.

There is no issue. My father is not some "random guy", everyone knows about his business here, a lot of people know him directly or indirectly. There is reputation at stake.

Originally Posted by jo_thorne

Are you worried that your therapist won't be discreet? I'm not clear if you have a specific worry or are just asking to see how other people feel.

I am not worried, I am in thereapy for 3 months already. I was a little bit paranoid so I thought I ask people how they feel about this.

Originally Posted by Mastodon

It is interesting that you find that kind of information difficult to disclose to your therapist - maybe it is something to discuss with her, at some point?

It wasn't difficult, I was just being careful, not wanting to jump in, but I guess I had to tell everything.

During one of my difficult moments, my intrusive thought was "is she recording me?". This reminds me that I have to tell her that I have "intrusive thoughts".

[brillskep]

If my therapist wanted to, he could find me, because my contact and work information is available online if one knows where to look. But my therapist is very non-intrusive.

[stopdog]

I assume she has the skill to do an internet search if she chose. She knows what I do for a living and typing my name into a search engine does not require a great deal of skill. My name will show up because of my job.

My T has my home address and everything.

[pbutton]

My therapist lives near my office. We've discussed him walking his dog on the trails behind the building. We have also discussed how he rides his bike on the bike trails in my neighborhood, but I've never run into him. He definitely knows where my work and my house are, if he wished to find them. However, I can't imagine any reason why he would want to do so.

[ragsnfeathers]

His office is across the street from my apartment. When I was looking I was depressed and my arthritis was acting up so I opted to interview the closest first. I described which window is mine. I saw him on the street a couple times from said window. He never glanced up at it.

[ThisWayOut]

My T knows me and my family. She knows where to find me if she wanted. All my T's have. They are pretty good with confidentiality though. Even when I regularly bumped into a T at bars and social events, she never broke confidentiality.

[Sarah1985]

I'm the same way and worry about her recording my sessions, or looking me up and judging me. Glad I'm not the only one!

My therapist can find me easily. She has been to my house a few times, and come to visit me at work a few times so she could see where i work and meet my friends. Also, a lot of things come up on the internet if you do a search for my real name, because of my job, and websites and such. I am not hard for anyone to find actually, which can be frustrating. My t is trustworthy and I do not mind her having a lot of information about me.

[divine1966]

How is therapy anonymous? I give my last name And address and work place I teach at a public school and have a website and my insurance pays for therapy. How is it anonymous?

Don't people give their real name and location? Show your driver license? They make a copy of it? Aren't you required to fill out the paperwork prior to starting? This thread is puzzling to me

It is not like AA meeting

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[divine1966]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

Uh, yes. He knows who I am. He knows where I work. He knows where I live. He knows my husband and my kids. He knows my parents' names, my sisters' names, etc. He knows where I go to church, etc.

It seems odd to me that your T wouldn't know that kind of basic information about you.

Same here. How is the therapist doesn't know clients basic info? Now mine can't remember names (ethnic names) but she knows the basics about my life for sure. It is odd that someone wouldn't

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I suspect there are people who pay cash for their therapy and never honestly divulge their true identity, address, etc. Just seems an odd way to do therapy though. To go into therapy hiding your identity seems counterproductive.

[divine1966]

I am pretty sure you have to show your drivers license. I paid cash to my previous t but I had to fill out paperwork.

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[stopdog]

I never had to show my driver's license to a therapist. I would not have done it without some really good reason either.

[divine1966]

Originally Posted by stopdog

I never had to show my driver's license to a therapist. I would not have done it without some really good reason either.

When you do paperwork in the office? Same as doctors office?

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[stopdog]

No - I don't use insurance - I pay them in cash. I think I filled out a sheet with my name and address on it the first time I went - but that is it - plus I doubt either of them could read my handwriting.

[divine1966]

I paid cash to my old t but still had paperwork to fill out
Don't see a reason to give fake name or address kind of silly in my opinion

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[BlessedRhiannon]

Yes, my t knows where I work, where I live, names of my family members...heck she knows that we only live 3 miles apart. I'm not bothered by he having this information. I trust her to keep my confidentiality and can't imagine a reason why she'd try to find me at my work place or home.