Not allowed to see notes before they get sent to new T

The potential new T needs particular parts of my records(specifically letters written from my psychiatrist & T to my general practitioner re assessment and diagnoses) and my T was going to show them to me before sending. I gave tentative permission to send based on me viewing first.

Now, he has been informed by his clinic that I am not allowed to see them, unless I go through an official request process as required under legislation here.

I am both not surprised(I have had to request full mental health records for previous clients) and also completely pissed off!! My T agrees with me completely on this.

What it comes down to is, they are not my full file, both PDoc and T are happy for me to see them, they are about me and I can withdraw permission to send anyway.

But here is the problem.......and I am screwed no matter what I want.....the new T would need them anyway(and potentially way more crap than I am comfortable with) to be able to process the application for the funding to pay for any future therapy!

Once again I am left with no control, stuck between a rock and a hard place! As if this ending with my T isn't hard enough.

Gah!...........I do have a question though. Why do I feel so desperate to have some control over all of this, control over these letters? Am I being overly sensitive?

I'm not sure I'm understanding. If there is an official request process, then you just need to go through that process and then you will be able to see your records. Sounds like that is the law in your country perhaps; if so, it is just what it is.

We're going through a similar paper trail process getting my husband's medical records forwarded from one physician to the next. It's a pain in the rear, but that's just the breaks. We have to follow the correct process for these to be sent legally.

My advice would be to just accept that this is a matter probably out of your control, your T's control, etc. The rules are the rules.

Oh, my issue is, the new therapist can have them immediately if I give the authorisation. Whereas I would have to request and go through a drawn out process that can take weeks. So she will have seen them before I will know what is in there.

I am struggling with this and can't figure out why this stresses me out as much as it does. It has me feeling all fearful and anxious and worried!!

i don't think you're being too sensitive at all Jane, i would find it really hard too.

((Jane)), you are a very private person and as most with PTSD do, have trust issues too.
I can't blame you for wanting to make sure you approve of what this new therapist is going to know about you. You have not met her "yet" right? You have not had time to "trust and feel safe with her yet".

It sounds like a process to completely discourage clients.

Would it be possible for the records to get sent to the second therapist but for her to agree not to open them but to give them to you first?

It is an infuriating process, and I completely forgot just how much! Having had to advocate for previous clients in accessing their records, you'd think I would have been prepared for this!

Thanks for the suggestion stopdog, it is a good idea. I am not sure that I could ask that of the new T before I have even had a first meeting with her!

My T told me that there are, probably, things in the letters that he thinks would be hard for me to read.

I would insist, but here it's my right.

It's YOUR LIFE!!! You have every RIGHT to see your records and anyone who withholds them is a CONTROL FREAK!!

My T thinks he's some kind of GOD with POWERS over his CLIENTS. He gets OFF ON IT if you know what I mean!! Let me tell you, T's are getting PAID by us and THEY ARE NOT GOD'S. My T was once so LOW a creature that the people who HELPED HIM must be questioning what they did now. I mean he has become some EGOCENTRIC CRAZY PERSON. Thinking he can rule my life. He is NOT IN CHARGE OF MY LIFE!! I AM!!

YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SEE YOUR RECORDS. If I were you I would get a GOOD lawyer and fight for your rights. Good luck.

The process seems pretty cumbersome. Is there any chance that you could request to review your records DURING one of your final sessions with your current therapist? Here in the US, people can ask to review their file and many therapist prefer that it be done in a session while he/she is present. This allows the therapist to support/explain any confusion that results while viewing the records. Personally, I feel that it is pretty patronizing for a therapist to think he/she needs to hold my hand or explain difficult clinical terms to me, but if that's the only way you can view your file before it is sent out, then it might be the route you want to go. Sorry it's such a hassle for you!

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.

Just thinking outside the box, could your therapist read the letters to you in session? That way, you're not actually seeing them but still get to know the content. Plus, if some of it is difficult for you to hear, you'll be with your t to process it.

I know what you mean. My new T wants my file from my ex-T. But I can't get access to my file for myself to see what's in there. My ex-T will use the excuse that seeing my file would do damage to me and cause SI or SUI, so she won't hand them over (my advocate already told me this). Maybe if I went to court? So I have to hand over my file blindly to the new T. The only good thing is my file mostly comprises of my emails, and I personally have all sent and received. So I know there's one email I absolutely do not want the new T to have (technically it shouldn't be there anyways), so I just won't give her consent for that month worth of my file.