Confidentiality and its Limits
What happens in counselling, stays in counselling.
What is Confidentiality?
Confidentiality is a very important piece to understand within counselling. At Over the Hill with Gill, confidentiality means that:
what you share in counselling remains between you and your therapist
your attendance of counselling is confidential
if you see your therapist in public, you will not be acknowledged unless you acknowledge Gillian first.
Confidentiality Limits
That being said, safety is of the utmost importance at Over the Hill with Gill. Safety takes precedence over everything. There are five limits to confidentiality where Gillian is legally (and ethically) obligated to report to the appropriate authorities:
If you say that you want to die/have a plan to die by suicide
If you disclose that you are going to harm someone else
If you say that there is a risk of harm (physical, emotional, verbal, psychological) to a child and/or a dependent
If you say that you have been abused by a licensed professional, such as a doctor or another health professional.
If Gillian’s case notes are subpoenaed for court