records--missing records?

In reaction to the difficult and ambiguous termination I went thru with a T four years ago, I requested a full copy of my records hoping to have more light shed on the subject. In my state T's are required to release everything--they can't hold back any therapy related notes upon request.

My T said she wouldn't release for the exception reason of not doing it if T thinks it might harm patient’s mental or physical health, sent them to my pdoc, who then released them to me after reading them.

In going over the records for the termination period, there seem to be missing records, records referred to in the other notes, in addition to some records that should exist given the behaviors that occurred.

A consultation meeting record isn't in the stuff I received. The information is referred to, i.e. "See 9/8 consultations" and a later reference is made to another consultation session not in the records.

I'm seeing a T just to process the termination, and I want him to talk to her in hopes she can offer more info via him (plus have him handle some formal matters like getting references for T's to see, day hospital programs, etc. He's not in my state). But I want to see the full termination records, and I think she held back.

Anyone had the problem of having the right (for your state)to getting full records by having a T hold some select ones back?

can you ask your pdoc to ask the old T for the missing items?

My T said she wouldn't release for the exception reason of not doing it if T thinks it might harm patient’s mental or physical health, sent them to my pdoc, who then released them to me after reading them.

I went through a termination and I requested the records. The T sent them to the therapist I was seeing. I was pisssed that he read them first b/c I was really scared of what was in there. But my T explained that I had nothing to be scared of and the notes were very inconsistent and out of order. For me it was that I thought he would think less of me b/c I was afraid to what was in there. I did not trust which turned out to be true that they were not written from a theapeutic view.

Depending on where you are I think you have a right to the full records but when I asked my T about it he told me that most notes are not that copious which is why he knew something was up. At least for him the notes are really just very simple. Also my orginal T did not release all of the notes they have to hold on to them for a certain about of time. I think it depends on where you are.

The thing was that the notes were of no help in learning about the termination. What they did provide was some insight into the type of T he was and my T told me that he wrote them to look like a white night trying to save a hopeless case.

Maybe your current T can talk to that other T and try to gain some information. In Massachusetts the law does say that you can't abandon a patient and that a T needs to do everything possible to make sure the next T has what they need to help the patient.

Hope this helps