Reconsider confidentiality if a serious crime has been committed

Some people call it a blessing; others find it easy to confide all their troubles and every single dirty secret to them. Others on the other hand, find it a burden.

Who wants to be the one to move around carrying all these details about individuals, some which have never been shared with anyone else? I don’t know about you but I definitely would rather not know. That’s why there are therapists. If there is the right person to pour your heart out to except your mother, then who better than the people who went to school and actually put in hard work so that they can listen to other people’s issues. But that is not the topic today. The question today is about confidentiality.

As we all know, a patient and their therapist are bound by some rules and one of them is confidentiality and today, we cannot help but wonder how far this particular rule should go. Is there a time when it can be adjusted to accommodate some circumstances? I say; absolutely yes.

Generally speaking, your therapist is supposed to keep your communications with them and even your identity confidential but even confidentiality has or at least, should have its limits under the law. Before you call me a rumormonger, please hear me out.

While I don’t know what the law says here, in most places I have been, therapists are ethically but not necessarily legally required to inform you that they are mandated to report whatever they find is something that can cause danger to the patient or others.

A therapist should not keep silent when for example he or she learns that some abuse, especially that of a child is ongoing or when their client plans to harm themselves or others.

What good would it be if your client said that they were planning a terror attack or that they knew someone who had been involved in such an attack and you kept your mouth shut?

How important would your profession be to the one you are treating and others if he or she told you that he planned to end his life and you didn’t say anything?

What good is there if your patient has intimated to you that he has the desire to rape or kill someone and you kept such information to yourself?

I understand that the foundation of a client/therapist relationship is trust and the cornerstone of that trust is confidentiality.

Confidentiality, like most things in life, should have limits and no one should have to suffer the consequences of what was probably a cry for help, just because they are bound by professional ethics. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Professionalism is not too much to ask

Counseling, or therapy, as some people may call it, is giving proficient help and advice to someone to resolve personal or psychological problems.

Whereas the need for therapy is referred to by some as ‘rich people’s issues’, in reality, many people are in need of this kind of service, as the issues that lead to it can be triggered by anything ranging from the death of a loved one, to parental neglect to social or emotional distress.

One may wonder about the importance of therapists or counselors, and if their services are of any real value.

From my own past experience, it is easier to talk to a stranger than to your own relatives. Perhaps it is because a stranger won’t be disappointed in you, or that he/she won’t judge you, I don’t know. That, coupled with the fact that this stranger is obligated not to share your ‘issues’ with anyone, makes it even easier.

Confidentiality exists so that a patient can open up and get the help they need in a safe and accepting environment, where they will not feel paranoid about being betrayed.

If the job is to listen and counsel, then that is exactly what should be done. Otherwise it loses meaning and many therapists/counselors will find themselves jobless if the secret comes out that people’s issues are not as protected as they thought.

And this includes being able to open up about crimes. The patient-counselor confidentiality right should continue to be respected so that patients can heal and possibly avoid future crime. I know the moral card will weigh heavily on a few souls but the point here is to get through to someone and help them in every way possible – and that does not include selling them out!

Confidentiality is a respected part of psychology’s code of ethics. Psychologists understand that for people to feel comfortable talking about private and revealing information, they need a safe place to talk about anything they like, without fear of that information leaving the room.

One may argue that it is wise not to tell your therapist everything, in other words, the less the counselor knows the better. Perhaps so, but I imagine that the more you share, the more likely the process will help. There’s no point in holding back information, otherwise you might as well just stay home and work through whatever is bothering you on your own.

To avoid clashes, limits to confidentiality should be in print, signed by both parties. Only then can one go in knowing just how much he/she is willing to share. If full confidentiality is what has been agreed on, then a breach of that trust is not only disloyal but seriously unprofessional.

rachel.garuka@newtimes.co.rw