This is one of the more frequent questions that people ask me. One of the advantages of talking to a Licensed Professional Counselor is HIPAA protected confidentiality. This means (for adults 18 and older) that what you disclose to your counselor stays with your counselor with just a few exceptions:
- If you have suicide ideations or homicidal ideations your counselor may need to break confidentiality in order to ensure your safety or the safety of someone who is in harm’s way. Often times the very reason someone shares this kind of information with their counselor is because they know that they need that accountability to ensure that they will stay safe.
- If you indicate that there is a vulnerable adult or child in harm’s way (e.g. abuse or neglect) then again just like number 1, safety is paramount. This may require a disclosure of communication in order to ensure safety of others.
- If a judge were to subpoena the counselor regarding a particular client then the counselor is required to comply with the information being requested in the subpoena. This is not common but does happen and is usually in divorce cases or child custody situations where this would potentially be an issue.
- If you would voluntarily like your counselor to disclose any information. This usually happens in cases of referrals to specialty care such as Psychiatry for follow up and medication management.
Other than these exceptions, what you share with your counselor stays with your counselor. With minors (17 and under), the legal parent/guardian is privy to these exceptions to confidentiality, especially when they are the subject of number 2 above. Above all, your counselor is a professional and maintaining your confidentiality is an ethical responsibility that we all share and take very seriously!
