If it’s your first time trying therapy, you may have a few questions about privacy. Being open, honest, and vulnerable with your therapist can feel overwhelming and even scary at times, especially if you’re constantly asking yourself ‘is therapy confidential?’. Rest assured, there are laws in place to protect your medical privacy.
Confidential Therapy and HIPAA
Most therapists abide by a code of ethics to help you feel comfortable disclosing personal details in your therapy sessions. Luckily, there are legal safeguards in place for your privacy. You may have heard of HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA contains a privacy rule that protects information regarding your health and medical history, including mental health and therapy. The majority of the information you share in therapy will stay between you and your therapist, including information about medical history, prescription medicine, past trauma, or even information you might share about shoplifting as a teen.
However, there are just a few exceptions where a therapist is bound by law to report something you share:
- A threat to harm yourself or others – the feelings you express in therapy are confidential, but if you express a desire and intent to harm yourself or others, your therapist is bound by law to report that to higher authorities.
- Ongoing abuse, neglect, or domestic violence – therapists are bound by law to report instances of harm against you, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. An exception may be recounting instances of abuse you experienced in childhood or the past.
- Court order – Sometimes therapists may be asked by the court to provide information about a patient if their mental health is called into question during court proceedings.
Is Therapy Confidential? Contact Philly Family Life Counseling
Finding a therapist you can trust isn’t always easy, but experience goes a long way. Dr. Gene Devers and Associates at Philly Family Life Counseling LLC have decades of experience in counseling and understand the ins and outs of HIPAA so that you are always protected. A compassionate therapist, Dr. Gene Devers knows the courage it takes to be open and vulnerable during counseling. He makes it a point before you have your first session to go over HIPAA and privacy documents with you and will answer any questions you might have. For more information on therapy, HIPAA, and how you can get the help you need, call our office at 215-677-3810 between the hours of 9am – 5pm or fill out our online form.
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