[hopealwayz]

About 2 months ago, I went to see another therapist. I didn't mention my current T's name at all.

I emailed the other T yesterday and he said that it was unfortunate that I stuck with my current T due to the fact that I had feelings for him.

I was in shock because I didn't talk about my T at all with him.

So, my current T must have told him that I am a patient of his. (He is also my current T's therapist).

It seems to me that my T shouldn't have told the other T that I was his patient because since he had been talking about my issues in his therapy, he identified me and now this other T knows about stuff that I've told T in confidence.

Did my current T violate my privacy and confidentiality?

[ilikecats]

It sounds like it could have been an accident. Like maybe the T was talking about a client of his, and the other T just put it together that the client was you. If it wasn't an accident, I do feel like it'd be a break of confidentiality, but I'm not sure.

Therapist consultant with each other all the time, and don't need our permission. I don't know if that is what happened. But, as another poster stated, he could have figured it out on his own, and may have slipped when he shared with you about your feelings for your current therapist. Your therapist is in therapy and anything he says is fear game to his therapist. If anything, it was his confidentiality as a client was violated, yet I don't suspect he will be distressed by it.

Sorry this happened to you.

[atisketatasket]

Therapists do consult with each other all the time. But they are supposed to leave names out.

How do you know he is also your therapist's therapist? Did your first therapist refer you to him? If so, that is another way the information could have leaked - some therapists call the party they made a referral to and outline why they made the referral.

Were you planning to switch to the second therapist? Why did you email him?

[Pennster]

Originally Posted by Walkedthatroad

Therapist consultant with each other all the time, and don't need our permission. I don't know if that is what happened. But, as another poster stated, he could have figured it out on his own, and may have slipped when he shared with you about your feelings for your current therapist. Your therapist is in therapy and anything he says is fear game to his therapist. If anything, it was his confidentiality as a client was violated, yet I don't suspect he will be distressed by it.

Sorry this happened to you.

I am confused by this- my therapist has a therapist of his own and I trust that if I were to come up for any reason he would certainly make sure that I would not be identifiable in any way. I also expect that he does not identify me at all in his supervision group. I really don't think it's ok for my therapist to report to anyone else that he is seeing me.

OP, I'm sorry this happened to you. do you feel like you can talk to your therapist about it at all and ask for an explanation?

[AllHeart]

Originally Posted by hopealwayz

About 2 months ago, I went to see another therapist. I didn't mention my current T's name at all.

I emailed the other T yesterday and he said that it was unfortunate that I stuck with my current T due to the fact that I had feelings for him.

I was in shock because I didn't talk about my T at all with him.

So, my current T must have told him that I am a patient of his. (He is also my current T's therapist).

It seems to me that my T shouldn't have told the other T that I was his patient because since he had been talking about my issues in his therapy, he identified me and now this other T knows about stuff that I've told T in confidence.

Did my current T violate my privacy and confidentiality?

In my state, t's cannot talk to each other about a client unless said client signed a release form giving the t's permission to do so. If a release form was not signed and t's talked about a client like this, heck yes, it's a violation.

Just so I have this right. it was your current t that brought your situation with the other t to light, correct? And then other t revealed info to you, that current t told to him? Seems like they are both unethical. I'd look into your state rules especially since your current t has recently pulled other bs on you.

[hopealwayz]

I sent him a text about it earlier. I told him that I felt violated.

Now this other therapist knows my identity so he also knows about issues that I've struggled with. It's already hard for me to trust people so this definitely didn't help.

I don't have an appointment with him again until March 1 so I won't be able to talk about it with him in person until then. I wish I had an earlier appointment. This is an issue that I want to bring up.

He told me that he was in therapy with this therapist. He recommended his podcasts to me. I met with the other therapist because I was interesed in his podcasts and wanted to meet him in person. So I emailed about an appointment but decided against it. Well, somehow a few weeks later, he emailed me and said he had an appointment slot open and could give me a discount on the session so I decided to go.

I hadn't planned on looking for another therapist. I just went to see how things went.

[hopealwayz]

I emailed the other therapist and he told me. And I was shocked. My T has read my text but hasn't responded about it.

[AllHeart]

Originally Posted by hopealwayz

My T has read my text but hasn't responded about it.

Probably cuz he knows he's been busted. He effed up. Are you considering filing a complaint or reporting him?

[hopealwayz]

Originally Posted by AllHeart

Probably cuz he knows he's been busted. He effed up. Are you considering filing a complaint or reporting him?

I'm very hurt over this but I don't think I'm going to file a complaint. I want to stick with therapy with him and I don't want to keep stirring stuff up but this is bothering me and i told him how I felt.

Now with my identity revealed to the other therapist, the other therapist knows very private things about me including the fact that I had feelings for my therapist at one time.

[Favorite Jeans]

Originally Posted by hopealwayz

I sent him a text about it earlier. I told him that I felt violated.

Now this other therapist knows my identity so he also knows about issues that I've struggled with. It's already hard for me to trust people so this definitely didn't help.

I don't have an appointment with him again until March 1 so I won't be able to talk about it with him in person until then. I wish I had an earlier appointment. This is an issue that I want to bring up.

He told me that he was in therapy with this therapist. He recommended his podcasts to me. I met with the other therapist because I was interesed in his podcasts and wanted to meet him in person. So I emailed about an appointment but decided against it. Well, somehow a few weeks later, he emailed me and said he had an appointment slot open and could give me a discount on the session so I decided to go.

I hadn't planned on looking for another therapist. I just went to see how things went.

Can I challenge you a little here?

If your answer is no feel free to read no further.

YOU JUST WENT TO HAVE A SESSION WITH YOUR THERAPIST'S THERAPIST? Just like that?

And you have feelings for your therapist?

In your heart of hearts, what were your motives in going?

Of course you're within your rights to see any therapist who will see you. But come on. IMHO there is a lot more to your actions than you're copping to here.

Also what on this lonely green planet was your therapist doing telling you who they see for therapy? That is some intensely effed up oversharing! I am deeply concerned about their professionalism.

I think this is one dangerous game and the therapist was absolutely right to put a stop to it. Though I do think they probably should have declined to continue to see you without revealing as much as they did. As to the limits of confidentiality, I cannot comment on that intelligently except to say that it strikes me as somewhere on the spectrum of precious to galling that you knowingly went to see your therapist's therapist and you feel that YOUR boundaries have been violated.

[AllHeart]

Ok, but know that you are not the one stirring stuff up here. Your t did that all on his own. This is his fault, not yours.

I know you are strongly attached to this t so I understand your hesitation to file a complaint. At the very least, please document everything that happened with this -- dates, times, names, method of contact, etc. Save texts and emails. You may feel differently about this t down the road as he continues to cause you harm. All bits of evidence around this guys wrong doings will be to your benefit.

[stopdog]

I think that any therapist who tells a client the name of their therapist and identifies that as their therapist is the problem - not the client. And yes - even if a client does go knowingly to the therapist of the therapist - their right to confidentiality is violated if the two therapists reveal the client's name/discuss client to each other without the client's permission. I see no reason to blame or yell at OP here.
OP - I am confused - did the two therapists know you knew each of them.

[hopealwayz]

I went to see this other therapist because he's had a session with George Anderson, the medium and I had wanted to ask him a question about it so I emailed him and we talked a little about it. He contacted me and asked me if I wanted an appointment so I went to see him.

I've had 3 deaths in the family in the past few years so I was intrigued by the fact that he had a session with George Anderson especially since I was considering it.

[hopealwayz]

My current T knew about me going to the session with the other T.

But, I didn't tell the other T that I was in therapy with my current T. I didn't discuss or mention him at all.

[AllHeart]

Originally Posted by Favorite Jeans

Can I challenge you a little here?

If your answer is no feel free to read no further.

YOU JUST WENT TO HAVE A SESSION WITH YOUR THERAPIST'S THERAPIST? Just like that?

And you have feelings for your therapist?

In your heart of hearts, what were your motives in going?

Of course you're within your rights to see any therapist who will see you. But come on. IMHO there is a lot more to your actions than you're copping to here.

Also what on this lonely green planet was your therapist doing telling you who they see for therapy? That is some intensely effed up oversharing! I am deeply concerned about their professionalism.

I think this is one dangerous game and the therapist was absolutely right to put a stop to it. Though I do think they probably should have declined to continue to see you without revealing as much as they did. As to the limits of confidentiality, I cannot comment on that intelligently except to say that it strikes me as somewhere on the spectrum of precious to galling that you knowingly went to see your therapist's therapist and you feel that YOUR boundaries have been violated.

Agreed it's a bizarre situation. Current t seems to get off on having a power hold over the OP based on this and previous posts. Regardless, of how or why OP went to the current t's t, OP's confidentiality rights were violated. It's a messed up situation all around. Bottom line, the therapists need to adhere to proper rules and regulations. Current t is doing none of that.

[hopealwayz]

My current T has helped me a lot. He's helped me get through these last few years of tragedies. He was there for me when I needed him.

[hopealwayz]

I'm disappointed that my therapist didn't say anything about how I felt violated nor did he offer to find me an appointment so I can see him in person.

So I feel a huge hole in my heart and I'm going to have problems sleeping.

Originally Posted by Pennster

I am confused by this- my therapist has a therapist of his own and I trust that if I were to come up for any reason he would certainly make sure that I would not be identifiable in any way. I also expect that he does not identify me at all in his supervision group. I really don't think it's ok for my therapist to report to anyone else that he is seeing me.

OP, I'm sorry this happened to you. do you feel like you can talk to your therapist about it at all and ask for an explanation?

The OP never said the consult therapist mentioned her name or her therapist name. Her therapist can consult about her case without mentioning her name or speak of her in his personal therapy without mentioning her name. If the consult therapist figured it out on his own, and he said what he said to the OP, her confidentiality was not violated through the course of her therapist therapy. Her therapist's confidentiality was violated. Just like us clients, he has a right to confidentiality. If the OP's name was mentioned in consultation then her therapist had a right to protect her name. But, the OP never mention names were mentioned at any time in her original post. My guess is there is a bit more to Th the story that the poster is not comfortable in sharing. My opinions only.

Sorry, if I was not clear in my previous post.

ETA: Have read the rest of the posts by OP, and I can't get the story to add up to her confidentiality was violated, unless her name was specifically mentioned. Also, the OP talks about a certain medium, George(?). A possibly unfortunate scenario: her therapist without mentioning names share her case within his therapy, three deaths, continually contacting him, him handling her therapy badly, etc. all this is ripe for therapy. And yes, unfortunate if the the OP accidentally go outed. I don't see a reporting offense as it pertains to this situation with her therapist.

Originally Posted by hopealwayz

I sent him a text about it earlier. I told him that I felt violated.

Now this other therapist knows my identity so he also knows about issues that I've struggled with. It's already hard for me to trust people so this definitely didn't help.

I don't have an appointment with him again until March 1 so I won't be able to talk about it with him in person until then. I wish I had an earlier appointment. This is an issue that I want to bring up.

He told me that he was in therapy with this therapist. He recommended his podcasts to me. I met with the other therapist because I was interesed in his podcasts and wanted to meet him in person. So I emailed about an appointment but decided against it. Well, somehow a few weeks later, he emailed me and said he had an appointment slot open and could give me a discount on the session so I decided to go.

I hadn't planned on looking for another therapist. I just went to see how things went.

I would certainly email the consulting therapist, and tell him what has transpired, and the distress this this has cause you. I would request an emailresponse back, because then you will have a written document hopefully in your favor with an apology.

[AllHeart]

Originally Posted by Walkedthatroad

The OP never said the consult therapist mentioned her name or her therapist name. Her therapist can consult about her case without mentioning her name or speak of her in his personal therapy without mentioning her name. If the consult therapist figured it out on his own, and he said what he said to the OP, her confidentiality was not violated through the course of her therapist therapy. Her therapist's confidentiality was violated. Just like us clients, he has a right to confidentiality. If the OP's name was mentioned in consultation then her therapist had a right to protect her name. But, the OP never mention names were mentioned at any time in her original post. My guess is there is a bit more to Th the story that the poster is not comfortable in sharing. My opinions only.

I don't think therapists can go talking about clients to each other at random. I believe consultations need to be done with supervisors and colleagues employed in the same office. Whatever the case, the therapist absolutely cannot give away any information that would identify the client. That's not limited to naming names. Clearly, the OP was identified somehow and that is a violation.

Not sure I would classify current t's confidentiality as being violated by this other t as the two of them shouldn't have been discussing the OP without consent to begin with. If the info exchanged happened as professionals talking, it's a violation, the t has no right to confidentiality. If the exchange happened while current t was in therapy with other t, still a violation as current t's relationship with OP comes first and no identifying information can be given out. The current t is at fault here, imo.

Here where I live a therapists t is a supervisor and yes we do talk about clients with our supervisor but they are not identifiable, no names are used.
I really am worried about your t and his ts professionalism. I think they have overstepped so many marks here. I would report them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Under HIPPA: "In certain circumstances, the Privacy Rule permits use and disclosure of protected health information without the patient’s permission. For example, the Privacy Rule permits consultations between psychologists and other health care professionals without permission, because such consultations fall under the Rule’s “treatment” exception. However, many states require that before releasing patient information for a consultation, a psychologist must have obtained the patient’s generalized consent at the start of treatment. (Such state laws are not preempted by the Privacy Rule because they are more protective of privacy.) How the Privacy Rule interacts with your state’s consent or authorization rules is an important issue covered in the HIPAA for Psychologists product."

http://www.apapracticecentral.org/bu...hipaa/faq.aspx

My state defers to federal law. Other state's laws trump the federal laws in certain situations.

Some of us in America are sometimes under false impressions as to how much freedom and privacy we have actually have. Under HIPPA, a therapist does not need your consent to notify family if you are an adult, and they feel you are a danger to self or others. You stop taking meds, hubby can get a call without your consent under HIPPA. Most people don't even know that therapists in any state have a right to notify federal authorities if they feel you should not have the right to buy or own a firearm. You don't have to have done anything or threatened anything past or future. But your name will be on the federal don't sell to list. I digressed.

I'm ranting, I know. I'm all for privacy, and what happened to the OP stinks, but I am under no illusion that the system will back her if she lives in my country.

[RedSun]

I'm so confused. Sorry, ADD moment

However, two things I have a hold on...a client can bring what they want to therapy. If that client is also a T, they should not use names of clients, just to be professional really, but a big part of why Ts stay in their own therapy (or should) is in case a client knocks their own stuff, and it often happens. So it's really reasonable ad expected that a T who is a client may talk about their own clients with their T.

Also, in the uk anyway, it would be considered a boundary violation if a T saw a T as a client, and also their client as a client.
Because of the above. Most Ts won't work with close friends or relatives for the same reason. Yes, the OP was overstepping boundaries by approaching her Ts T, but they're not her boundaries to keep.
Her Ts T (man I'm so muddled) should not have consulted with her IF he knew she was his clients client. If he did.

I'm sorry this happened. It's not a good situation and both therapists should have taken better care. If the 2nd. therapist recognized your name, he should have NEVER booked the appointment in the first place. He didn't have to give a reason, he should have just stated he didn't have any available appointments. And if he was working with your therapist as a "supervisor/consultant", he shouldn't know your name in the first place. It is possible that he only "recognized" you after meeting with you because of the issues your discussed, but even then, he should have thanked you for meeting with him and gently told you that he didn't think he was the right therapist for you. Letting you know that he KNEW about your issues with your current therapist is wrong and broke confidentiality for both you and YOUR current therapist.

I'd check your State regulations for his licensing group. If you choose to report this, you might very well have a case. The other thing to talk about your therapist is why he was discussing your case in supervision or therapy and breaking confidentiality. He can't casually discuss cases with other therapist friends, that is a no no in ALL States. In supervision, he is suppose to disguise his cases and not mention names. Unfortunately, in small towns, even disguising information isn't enough, but the supervisor should be skilled enough to handle the situation in a more professional manner. Where I lived and worked, it was a rule that therapist had to notify their clients if they had a supervisor and all efforts were made to disguise and keep the identity of their clients private and confidential.

A way to avoid this ever happening again is never, ever go to your therapist's therapist. Reality is that they do talk openly and intimately about their clients with their own therapists. We would all hope that they would take good care to disguise our identities, but since I'm a little paranoid, I'd advise never banking on that. Better to be safe than sorry. Yalom talks about these kinds of situations as "incestuous"--therapist 1 is seeing therapist 2, therapist 3 is dating therapist 1 and works in the same clinic as therapist 2. It makes for an uncomfortable triangle. Or Client 1 is seeing therapist A who is married to Client 1's primary physician. The relationships each person has muddies the therapy and can lead to difficulties just as you have mentioned. I hope you're able to find a way through this.