Sorry I couldn’t word that better, but I don’t know the proper term. My vocabulary is kind of limited and I have trouble putting thoughts into words.
I always see stuff about this rule, but I don’t really understand it. You can’t talk about what’s said during this appointment, but what does that entail? And what are the exceptions to this rule, because I think there are, right?
In: Other
U.S. Psychologist. I cannot release any info I have on patient or even fact that I see patient without their written permission. Main exceptions:
1. If they are an immediate danger to themselves or another(s) and there is no way to keep them or the other person safe without revealing confidential information, then I must contact authorities, e.g., to hospitalize them.
2. If the patient tells me about current child or vulnerable adult abuse, I must make a report to the child or adult social services agency. Depending on how involved or uninvolved the patient is in the abuse, I will need to include a lot to very little confidential information about them in the report.
3. If the patient sues me, I am allowed to use my psych records of that patient in court to defend myself.
I was an attorney before I was a psychologist and I couldn’t talk about clients then, either. You just don’t talk about your work. It’s off the table. I’m a chatty Cathy, too. I love to tell my husband everything. But client or patient privilege is different. Breaking confidentiality is like stabbing your client/patient in the back. Especially because you made a promise to keep their most private things private. It’s illegal and unethical to break such a promise. You just don’t do it.
Latest Answers