Do you use real names/enough info for a therapist to report someone else?

Do you use real names/enough info for a therapist to report someone else?

I never gave enough information as to names or places for a therapist to be able to report someone else - do you? Why?

Well I've never given the full name and address

But I use real first names of people I talk about and I've shown pictures with me and others (eg showing how I met a friend). A few times I showed their public fb accounts (i.e. profile picture) in order to help the T imagine who I was talking about. I've always only shared superficial and publicly available info.

I rarely used real names. Most of the info on the sheet the woman wanted me to fill out was not correct. The second one agreed I did not need to fill out a sheet because I paid her in cash. I don't use facebook, but I doubt I would ever have bothered to show a page to a therapist even if I did.

I use first names of people only because it is easier for me than to say my brother or older brother as I have two. I do say my stepdad and dad as I only had 1...although I am sure I have used their first name on occasion. When it comes to anything to do with friends there are only 2 that I have mentioned again I use their first names because I have 2 best friends.

I rarely used names of other people in my therapy, more often referred to them by their role in my life. I never talked too much about the same person, so this came more naturally. When I did refer to someone by name, it was just first name. I most definitely would not give a T anyone else's information, I would not see them if that was a condition. I don't use any social media for personal life (other than anonymous forums like this) but have no problems with a T finding out anything about me professionally if they cared to look. I also never filled out any paperwork about me for a therapist - what do they ask about other people?

Nothing on paperwork about other people except request for an emergency contact. I made up a name and number for that.

Not with my previous therapist. I used a fake name anytime I talked about my abuser. I know it’s silly when it’s a common first name but it would have given me more anxiety if she wrote it down in her notes and that information was “out there.” I still need to get to a point in therapy where I no longer have that fear.

Well, mine knows the full names of my ex-marriage counselor and ex-therapist. And I guess my husband is listed at my emergency contact (and I use his first name, and he has the same last name as me, so pretty sure he could figure it out!). Otherwise, I use some first names, but I don't know if he could figure out who they are.

I refer to people by their first names. My therapist usually will demand a first name if I'm describing some event or interaction, not because he wants enough info to report people but because he believes that details are important when recounting an event or experience and names are one of those details. He's never asked for last names, and I've never mentioned any.

He never asked me to fill out any paperwork. He never even knew my address so he couldn't even have called the cops on me if I threatened suicide (which I never did and wouldn't have done). I think the population he works with makes that sort of thing unnecessary.

I've never told him anything that would be subject to mandatory reporting. Even if I did, he wouldn't have been able to report anyone since I wouldn't have given him any information beyond a first name.

I would be really annoyed if my therapist threatened to report someone I didn't want to report myself. I don't know what I would have done had that happened. Luckily, it never has.

That is fascinating. I would feel like a criminal if I did that! Compliance or else. . .even if there is no "or else". Except the possibility of being being viewed as a liar by someone/anyone.

Humph. . .Not so sure I like my appoach to this kind of thing, after all!! It gets approval, and it's "honest" but not so sure it makes a lot of realistic sense. Maybe I need to think about this a little.

Any other (ex)-clients like me?

I have nothing or no one to report about, so maybe i’d feel different if i did. i used a real name/#, as my emergency contact. i use real names when i talk about people. i probably would get confused if i just made up names. though, derby names aren’t people’s given names.

I sometimes make up emergency contact even when I am forced to give one for a doctor Definitely would not give a real one to a therapist, I think I would even say that I won't, would not want a therapist to get involved in my life in any form except talking with me.

Oh, there was one exception about other people, just the two therapists: I did give the full name of my 1st T to the 2nd when he was curious (in response to my being quite critical about him). I would not have cared if T2 wanted to report T1 but I would not have contributed. Never gave info to T1 about T2, except first name (he has a very common name).

Only two people out of maybe 15 that we have talked about have any names at all. For those it's only first names. All other people are "the friend coming from country X", "my buddy from college" and so on. My T has never asked about full names or addresses of anyone.

Mine has my address and contact details, and I use some first names when I talk about close people in my life. No last names though and when she asked for details of my GP, I said I had no interest in sharing that. She was like, “Ok, cool”.

I don't usually use names. I just say "my uncle" or something like that.

This is all really interesting. I don't generally use names, but specify relationship, like "my friend," "my brother," etc. only because the names seem irrelevant. But I've always used my real name and address because it was required either to be eligible for services or insurance. I've always declined to list an emergency contact with all providers, medical or otherwise. They try to make you give a name, especially medical providers, but I always just say that I decline and leave it blank. Nobody's ever refused to treat me, even for surgery.

But my understanding for Ts in private practice is that if they treat you knowing that you are giving a false name and address, they could be risking their license in the event that you become involved in any harm situation to self or others. Now, if you give a false name and address, and are paying cash, and you just present the info as true, they are protected from any consequences. I've always assumed it was sort of like a lawyer, being an officer of the Court, can't knowingly support false info; but as long as the lawyer doesn't have reason to believe the info is false, there's no jeopardy.

I would never give a T info specific enough to report anyone over my objections.

Same here.

I always give an emergency contact. It's never really occurred to me not to.

Re emergency contact, my situation is that I don't have family that I would want notified--and I certainly wouldn't want any family involved in any sort of crisis decision-making in my life. So I do have a close friend I can depend upon, but I only want to involve them when absolutely necessary, not as a matter of record or automatically.

I find this thread interesting, too. The whole thing that Ts can call the police on clients, hospitalize someone, or report something to the authorities - is this true for private practice Ts as well? It would be weird that they don't tell clients this at the beginning at all and then still do it. Would that be legal? Mine never told me anything about these things.

My understanding is that therapists have an ethical duty to provide you with a disclosure statement before they start treating you. The disclosure statement would include the circumstances under which the therapist can and would break confidentiality. For example, if they genuinely believe that you are a threat to yourself or someone else.

However, the reality is that a lot of therapists, particularly older ones, don't follow this ethical guideline. I've never received a disclosure statement from any therapist, except Talkspace.

Yes, I think many do not even discuss these things, let alone having a disclosure statement. But getting the police involved or formal reporting is more than just about ethics - this is why I wonder whether those that never inform the client about their apparent responsibilities could do these things legally.

Mine also never asked for home address and I would not have given them that either.

There's no difference in the legal obligations whether a T is in private practice or not. In an agency, there are policies that must meet the legal requirements of the state, but may go beyond them.


I don't believe I've ever received a full disclosure in writing. There was a short form at the Univ clinic, but I only remember it explaining confidentiality and that it extended to limited staff beyond my T. Current T's 1 page form just said that all communication would be confidential in accordance with state regulations. The rest was just name, address, and insurance info.

I didn’t give any information to my t for the report she filled in for reporting my perpetrator. She had to fill in information herself and most of it was wrong because I wouldn’t collaborate.

I list my H as emergency contact, but mostly because I want them to contact him before the police. I don't ever use last names when talking about people in session, though. I don't think that my Ts would have enough info to make a report. I have given full names of other Ts to my Ts. I hadn't thought about them reporting each other, but I suppose I would be ok with that.

That makes sense to me. Thank you for sharing !