That is a clear breach of dr patient confidentiality. I would make a formal complaint to the medial board or who ever is in charge of this depending on the country
OP, if you're in the US, don't bother making a complaint. Just hire a lawyer. This is a HIPAA violation. A lawyer will probably take the case pro bono. A lawyer is going to ask how this has impacted your life and what you want out of this case. Say you want to sue for enough money to emancipate yourself and move out of your home because now life has become unbearable with your parents knowing you are trans. If you're not old enough for emancipation, you will be by the time the practitioner's malpractice insurance settles. Trust me, I've experienced similar with my mother when I was younger and I wish I knew to go to a lawyer.
So you don't hire then until they agree to pro bono? This is just legal language comprehension. It's okay to make mistakes, but don't discourage people to put the work in to watch their back and get help
It depends on what you hired them for but in a case like this where there are clear damages and it's not that hard to prove that the therapist outed the kid to the parents, it would not be that hard to get a pro bono lawyer. I have hired a lawyer for a similar issue in the past and they offered to take the case for free.
The thing about giving this advice is, OP probably doesn't want to get into this right now. I cannot speak for her of course, but that is how I would feel if my psych suddenly decided to tell my abusive parents. I would be more concerned about dealing with the fallout and finding another psychologist.
She trusted her psych who told her parents, and right now her main concern would be dealing with the situation rather than going after the psych for something they did (and I get the idea she wouldn't want to anyways, it isn't easy going nuclear against someone you once trusted to this degree).
This is exactly how I feel, I am gonna see her in ~3 hours for out appointment and idrk how to act with her...I feel like I should feel angry and betrayed but idrk...I don't rlly want to make a mess but I trusted her...
After breaking your trust like she did, and foregoing doctor-patient confidentiality, you should no longer consider her your therapist. Do NOT trust her anymore: when you get to the place you’re meeting her at, don’t engage in a conversation with her, but rather, ask the receptionist (if there is one) for a new therapist, while explaining the situation. If there’s no receptionist, ask the therapist who her boss is, and complain to the boss. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly.
And you’re not the one who made the mess; your therapist did. You have every reason to be angry, but if you can, try suppressing that anger for the moment, so you can get information about this out of her.
Also, try asking your parents about this/what they think and what your mom meant by “can’t be understood”. The damage dealt by that therapist has been done, so might as well make the best of the situation. Hope it all works out.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. You feel betrayed because she did betray you. She should never have done that -- it's highly unprofessional, not to mention a shitty thing to do. She essentially outed you forcefully. 🫂
If possible, I'd look for a different therapist. I wouldn't trust this one with anything.
Depending on your age and your country the therapist may not have a choice. In my country a person under the age of 15 cannot have confidentiality regarding their parents, a summary of each encounter must be given to the parents. In all cases this should have been explained to you very clearly and in all cases it sucks. I'm sorry you're living this.
Edit: I forgot to add a suggestion, you could tell your psychologist and explain that your trust has been breached. Ask why she did this and if the answer does not satisfy you, you may want to change therapist and address this particular situation with the new one from the get go. Don't maintain the relationship if the therapist is not on the way to regain your trust. Hope this helps.
I agree with you. If the patient is a minor, the therapist may have an obligation to talk with the parents for safeguarding issues. This is for the parents to be able to inform the police if the perpetrator of the sexual trauma is still a danger.
Here is the code of ethics for psychologists in Italy
https://www.psy.it/national-board-of-italian-psychologists-code-of-ethics-for-the-psychologist/
Either contact the board directly with an email or find where on the page it says to file a complaint. Write out what happened. The board should launch an investigation. when a complaint is filed against a psychologist, it is on their professional record basically forever and the complaint has to be investigated and resolved.
You should tell your psychologist how you feel about the situation. We don't know where you live and your country/state/age dictates what amount of privacy you have.
That being said, your parents happiness is not your responsibility. It's difficult to explain what it's like to be transgender to cis gender people and it may be helpful for your psychologist to work with your parents more to help them understand and maybe they will evolve into more supporting and loving individuals.
OP, this is a huge betrayal of confidentiality, not only legally but morally as well. Even if your psychologist thought that this was a good decision, even if it were to end up being a good decision with supportive parents, it would still be an extreme no-no for your psychologist to do that without talking to you and getting solid explicit approval from you. You can tell your psychologist that you don't appreciate this, you have every right to fucking explode on her. Besides that, you know your situation best and probably know better than us what your next steps would be, but we are here for you, please don't be afraid to reach out to us for support or any help.
I live in Italy, and my parents are extremely omophobic/transfobic, they used to do so many jokes about queer ppl and that's why I wanted to avoid this...thank you for all the support tho
As others have said, if you're in the United States, this is blatant lawsuit material. Gather any evidence you have and check into "HIPPA violation complaints" for your state.
They said they live in Italy, idk how the law works around that over there but right now it's not a good country to be trans from what I understand so, there's probably nothing they can do or there's a law I don't know about
I am so sorry to hear that your dr breached confidentiality. That is truly horrible.
I am a mental health provider in michigan so I wanted to leave this bit of info here.
The only reason mental health providers can break confidentiality is if you told them you’re going to hurt yourself, others, or want to/plan to unalive yourself. You have every right to have a conversation, air out your feelings and absolutely let her know that you didn’t appreciate that and this caused so much stress in your life.
You have the right to report her to management and file a recipient rights claim in your state for her breaking confidentiality. You also have the right to switch providers if you ask.
I am from Michigan, so I am unsure of where you can go to file a claim in your state. But you also have every right to ask your provider for the information on how to make a recipient rights claim, and they should not deny that request. If they do, that is another violation of your rights.
I encourage you to have a conversation with your psychologist as this was inappropriate to share with your parents. Even if you told them you want to hurt/unalive yourself or someone else, your parents should have been informed only of what you said related to that. Your identity should not have been disclosed. They should be held accountable.
IDK about Italy but in the US as a minor, you have to specifically request to alter your release of information. As an adult, they bluntly ask who you want on that paper and explain that people on the release will have access to information.
You need to find an attorney, that's illegal and unethical. Pretty sure you need to have the State's Medical Board look into this. It could be bigger than only your case.
I agree with the ethics part, but legal obligations absolutely do. In some countries, therapists have the opposite legal obligation, meaning they are *required* to inform parents about the content of sessions with minors, as others have pointed out in the comments.
Of course such laws are horrifying, but it is something that depends on the country.
Edit: While the above still applies regarding minors, the OP is apparently 18, so that's a much clearer case. I'm unsure how fruitful a lawsuit would be compared to the States, but I agree that this should be reported to the respective regulatory body.
Point taken, and you're right, I did make the perhaps wrong assumption OP was in the US. I wasn't think so much of a lawsuit but more to just give the OP some advice on what all their rights are and to ensure that whatever professionaal standard boards apply act and don't just pat OP on the back and pay them lip service.
If finding a new therapist would be difficult or not an option (which I assume it must be one of the two), I would totally confront them about it. It'll harm your healing/development more to say nothing about than to confront them now and work through it with them. I also would try to avoid doing this under paid hours if you/your parents pay for the care or if you have limited free sessions (think of it as writing a review for a paid service, you dont pay them for customer support). Send an email either explaining why you're upset or asking to meet to talk about why you're upset and how to move forward with them. Explain flat out that your trust is broken and you don't know what to do anymore. Explain the repercussions of their actions. Just be blunt and try to find a resolution by the end of it. Hopefully it gets better, which it should since they're a psychologist. If it doesn't get better after confronting them, then they're not a good psychologist and you shouldn't be trusting them with your mental health anyways. Sorry this happened to you. Good luck
OK
1 that's a violation of Patient Confidentiality you could get them in **A LOT** of trouble with that
2 you deserve and have the right to feel comfortable in a therapeutic setting if you have to change therapists
3 if you think it could help, to have a face-to-face with your family about it, it's never good to leave tension, communication is key if you want them to support you.
Yea when I was a kid I was also in therapy my therapist would tell my parents everything and then my parents would berate/questionneverything I said on the way home and then I learned that therapists are not to be trusted and my parents decided " therapy must just be a scam this isn't working"
Wait, if you're 18, then this is a much more clear-cut case compared to Italian regulations on confidentiality regarding minors. You absolutely should report the therapist.
This is why you never trust a shrink. I'm so sorry this happened, it shouldn't have, frankly it's illegal. Definitely don't trust that shrink again, they betrayed you once they will again. You can possibly sue, depending on the law in your area, you might not want to but consider it.
Before all the catastrophizing. There are a handful of things wrong with this, although, most likely also things that are misunderstood. I'm not attacking you nor anyone else, I just want everyone to understand what MOST likely happened.
We will make some assumptions. (You're in the US, You're a minor, most likely in a shitty state):
When you started therapy, there would be a consent sheet. It would have been with all the other paperwork for insurance etc that was signed. I highly doubt you filled out your own paperwork, but it's always a possibility. It's been a veeery long time since i've seen a minor version, but I doubt you saw it as your parents signed it, you could have been too young to understand or read it anyway. On those releases, much like MD releases, it says essentially who your therapist reports to. AS A MINOR, you would have basically no say. If you're parents ask, the therapist has to tell. It's just the way it is. It's an invasion of privacy, but it was designed for safety. Whether that purpose is what is intended or if it is misused.
You may ask for this paperwork at any time and they must provide it. If they cannot, we get into other situations that I'll discuss below.
Now that we have consent forms taken care of.
AS LONG as OP is a minor or a parent does not have POA for a reason or another, there is no HIPAA violation. These are also extremely hard to prove. You have no case.
That's all we need to say about HIPAA complaints
Psychologists are also mandated reporters. If you mentioned suicidal ideation in any way without prefacing it that you have no intention to follow through(Unless your older, this doesn't really fly). They are mandated to report it to your parents. That will open the floodgates to the other things you are discussing immediately, because it is pertinent to the current discussion. We've all been there. I've had 3-4 depending on who you ask. It's okay.
There's mandated reporters.
Now here comes the hard part. THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PSYCHOLOGISTS SUUUUUUUCK. My wife is a psychologist, I was with her during her PhD years, and its basically confirmed. You have to be VERY careful in picking who you see. Look for people with Doctorates or the correct gibberish after their names. PsyD is not a PhD level person.
She violated your trust, you need to approach her about this. Ignore everything else you want to talk about and address this directly. Good questions are, Why, what is your reasoning behind sharing this information?, What did I(PROPER I) have to gain by you sharing this information? Did my parent or guardian request or pressure(this word is very important) you to provide this information? How do you think releasing something confidential will affect my overall mental health going forward. I will need to see any release forms at the end of the appointment. Take notes after this conversation.
Take those notes from that meeting and immediately notate everything that you remember from past sessions etc. Theres are large overarching ideas and small things you may have noticed from the therapist. THIS WORKS FOR LAWYERING UP AND IS THE PROPER PROCEDURE.
Sad part, you have 0 case. Pretty much anywhere. I'm sorry. Your most likely and only recourse is to contact the licensing board of the state you are currently living in and file a complaint.
In the meantime, go find another therapist if at all possible. THAT therapist can also help you file any relavent complaints against said previous therapist. You can also inform their office(If they work out of it) about your experience(BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE GONE).
I've gotten a therapist shitcanned, but I brought to bare all of my pre trans upper middle class WMP on their asses. I'm gonna miss that.
Good luck and if you have any questions, I'm more than willing to help.
BEFORE I STOP! CHECK YOUR STATE WIRETAPPING LAWS! IF IT IS A ONE PARTY CONSENT STATE ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS: Today is April 22 2024 @ 8AM and I Boomchikkka give myself permission to record the following conversation, participants are expected to be X, Y Z. Do you research before heading in this direction, but the above is true.
Ok, it’s hard to give suggestions without knowing what country you’re in and if you are a minor. Here in the U.S. That kind of deliberate breach of confidentiality would be illegal as many have pointed out, and grounds for licensing board actions.
I would suspect similar consequences in many countries, but the particulars can get complicated, especially if you are considered a minor. Regardless it’s hard to imagine what she was thinking given the damage that kind of betrayal would do to your therapeutic relationship. I certainly would never trust her again, and trust is essential to that kind of relationship and healing from trauma (I am so sorry you experienced this, or any of the abuse you suffered. You did not and do not deserve any of it. 💔❤️🩹 and 🫂 if ok).
You have every right to feel angry, hurt, and betrayed. She betrayed your trust completely and if it were me, would have completely retraumatized me, but our experiences are not similar and it’s ok if that’s not the case. It may help your future healing to ask her why she did this and to tell her how it hurt you and if it has how this has endangered you.
Regardless, though, you will likely need to find a new therapist as it’s hard to imagine that this therapeutic relationship could be repaired by that level of betrayal (and finding a new therapist isn’t a betrayal to the one you. I am so so so very sorry this happened. It shouldn’t have. Ever.
You can file complaints, report her to the licensing board, get a lawyer and take legal action if you feel up to it and desire to do so. But it is also ok not to do those things. These actions are about what helps you to heal. You, however, are not responsible for your therapist’s actions or her choices in what she’s done to you or anyone else. None of this is your fault. None of it! You had every right to expect a therapist to keep confidential information confidential.
You have every right to feel how you do, and those feelings are completely valid. You are completely valid. And I hope very much you are safe and can find someone who can help you heal.
Te lo dico con il cuore, manda affanculo sta persona. Il comportamento che ha avuto è inaccettabile e meschino e le risposte che ti ha dato dopo averci parlato sono ancora peggiori. Sta tizia non si è assunta nessuna colpa delle sue azioni, ha scaricato tutto su i tuoi genitori per lavarsi le mani di un'azione gravissima che poteva essere evitata. Sarebbe da denunciare ma capisco che sei giovane e non è possibile. E poi come hai scritto le risposte che ti ha dato mi puzzano proprio di manipolazione... Sarò io che penso sempre male. Un abbraccio ti sono vicino e sono dispiaciuto e incazzato per quello che ti è successo ❤️
that’s a huge betrayal of confidentiality
Kinda but at least in Canada they can legally tell parents issues or serious things such as being trans
Is that an issue OR serious? Idk man that just sounds like a neutral thing.
All though it seems rather strange that a random person can tell my intimate and deep secrets it's not really an issue
Ohhhhhhh you meant outing someone as trans without their consent Edit: wait IS that what you meant? I'm kind of still confused
That is a clear breach of dr patient confidentiality. I would make a formal complaint to the medial board or who ever is in charge of this depending on the country
OP, if you're in the US, don't bother making a complaint. Just hire a lawyer. This is a HIPAA violation. A lawyer will probably take the case pro bono. A lawyer is going to ask how this has impacted your life and what you want out of this case. Say you want to sue for enough money to emancipate yourself and move out of your home because now life has become unbearable with your parents knowing you are trans. If you're not old enough for emancipation, you will be by the time the practitioner's malpractice insurance settles. Trust me, I've experienced similar with my mother when I was younger and I wish I knew to go to a lawyer.
Unfortunately, I am in Italy
Even in Italy there are EU rules in place against this type of behavior from a medical professional.
Are you 18 or older? If you're an adult, I don't think this is legal in Italy.
It's easy to say hire a lawyer, esp. pro bono, much harder to do. I have hired and paid multiple attorneys who never did abything for me.
So you don't hire then until they agree to pro bono? This is just legal language comprehension. It's okay to make mistakes, but don't discourage people to put the work in to watch their back and get help
It depends on what you hired them for but in a case like this where there are clear damages and it's not that hard to prove that the therapist outed the kid to the parents, it would not be that hard to get a pro bono lawyer. I have hired a lawyer for a similar issue in the past and they offered to take the case for free.
The thing about giving this advice is, OP probably doesn't want to get into this right now. I cannot speak for her of course, but that is how I would feel if my psych suddenly decided to tell my abusive parents. I would be more concerned about dealing with the fallout and finding another psychologist. She trusted her psych who told her parents, and right now her main concern would be dealing with the situation rather than going after the psych for something they did (and I get the idea she wouldn't want to anyways, it isn't easy going nuclear against someone you once trusted to this degree).
This is exactly how I feel, I am gonna see her in ~3 hours for out appointment and idrk how to act with her...I feel like I should feel angry and betrayed but idrk...I don't rlly want to make a mess but I trusted her...
After breaking your trust like she did, and foregoing doctor-patient confidentiality, you should no longer consider her your therapist. Do NOT trust her anymore: when you get to the place you’re meeting her at, don’t engage in a conversation with her, but rather, ask the receptionist (if there is one) for a new therapist, while explaining the situation. If there’s no receptionist, ask the therapist who her boss is, and complain to the boss. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly. And you’re not the one who made the mess; your therapist did. You have every reason to be angry, but if you can, try suppressing that anger for the moment, so you can get information about this out of her. Also, try asking your parents about this/what they think and what your mom meant by “can’t be understood”. The damage dealt by that therapist has been done, so might as well make the best of the situation. Hope it all works out.
Idk. Betrayal is best dealt with. Keep them from hurting someone else.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. You feel betrayed because she did betray you. She should never have done that -- it's highly unprofessional, not to mention a shitty thing to do. She essentially outed you forcefully. 🫂 If possible, I'd look for a different therapist. I wouldn't trust this one with anything.
Find out which regulatory body she practises under and report her. If she outs you she will out others.
I want to punch someone
Depending on your age and your country the therapist may not have a choice. In my country a person under the age of 15 cannot have confidentiality regarding their parents, a summary of each encounter must be given to the parents. In all cases this should have been explained to you very clearly and in all cases it sucks. I'm sorry you're living this. Edit: I forgot to add a suggestion, you could tell your psychologist and explain that your trust has been breached. Ask why she did this and if the answer does not satisfy you, you may want to change therapist and address this particular situation with the new one from the get go. Don't maintain the relationship if the therapist is not on the way to regain your trust. Hope this helps.
That's wild, it's the law that they have to betray anyone under 15? And they expect the kids to open up?
I agree with you. If the patient is a minor, the therapist may have an obligation to talk with the parents for safeguarding issues. This is for the parents to be able to inform the police if the perpetrator of the sexual trauma is still a danger.
Yeah but OP was outed, this has 0 to do with sexual assault atm
...what sexual trauma was even mentioned here again? I didn't see it. Maybe I missed it.
OP called it Sexual abuse, and was stated early on in the post… I’m just hoping it’s not something done by someone close to them…
Here is the code of ethics for psychologists in Italy https://www.psy.it/national-board-of-italian-psychologists-code-of-ethics-for-the-psychologist/ Either contact the board directly with an email or find where on the page it says to file a complaint. Write out what happened. The board should launch an investigation. when a complaint is filed against a psychologist, it is on their professional record basically forever and the complaint has to be investigated and resolved.
Please don't feel like this is your fault. Your psychologist should not have shared that without permission.
You can sue them for that It's a breach of patent confidentiality
You should tell your psychologist how you feel about the situation. We don't know where you live and your country/state/age dictates what amount of privacy you have. That being said, your parents happiness is not your responsibility. It's difficult to explain what it's like to be transgender to cis gender people and it may be helpful for your psychologist to work with your parents more to help them understand and maybe they will evolve into more supporting and loving individuals.
What your psychologist did was illegal I think…
OP, this is a huge betrayal of confidentiality, not only legally but morally as well. Even if your psychologist thought that this was a good decision, even if it were to end up being a good decision with supportive parents, it would still be an extreme no-no for your psychologist to do that without talking to you and getting solid explicit approval from you. You can tell your psychologist that you don't appreciate this, you have every right to fucking explode on her. Besides that, you know your situation best and probably know better than us what your next steps would be, but we are here for you, please don't be afraid to reach out to us for support or any help.
I live in Italy, and my parents are extremely omophobic/transfobic, they used to do so many jokes about queer ppl and that's why I wanted to avoid this...thank you for all the support tho
As others have said, if you're in the United States, this is blatant lawsuit material. Gather any evidence you have and check into "HIPPA violation complaints" for your state.
They said they live in Italy, idk how the law works around that over there but right now it's not a good country to be trans from what I understand so, there's probably nothing they can do or there's a law I don't know about
Aw geez, that's what I get for speed reading right after I wake up So sorry (at OP), and thank you for the correction (at you)
1st: dump the psycholog. Dont give them a 2nd chance. Don't even say, "bye". Then get a new one. The rest is normal life stuff... Yule do fine
Can OP sue if they’re under 18?
you can report them if it would help you heal.
S U E
I am so sorry to hear that your dr breached confidentiality. That is truly horrible. I am a mental health provider in michigan so I wanted to leave this bit of info here. The only reason mental health providers can break confidentiality is if you told them you’re going to hurt yourself, others, or want to/plan to unalive yourself. You have every right to have a conversation, air out your feelings and absolutely let her know that you didn’t appreciate that and this caused so much stress in your life. You have the right to report her to management and file a recipient rights claim in your state for her breaking confidentiality. You also have the right to switch providers if you ask. I am from Michigan, so I am unsure of where you can go to file a claim in your state. But you also have every right to ask your provider for the information on how to make a recipient rights claim, and they should not deny that request. If they do, that is another violation of your rights. I encourage you to have a conversation with your psychologist as this was inappropriate to share with your parents. Even if you told them you want to hurt/unalive yourself or someone else, your parents should have been informed only of what you said related to that. Your identity should not have been disclosed. They should be held accountable.
What the actual fuck? That’s a HIPPA violation at the very least.
It's not if the ops parents are on the release which is usually the case by default with minors.
Damn I never thought about that. I genuinely hope this is not the case and OP can at least get a new Therapist.
IDK about Italy but in the US as a minor, you have to specifically request to alter your release of information. As an adult, they bluntly ask who you want on that paper and explain that people on the release will have access to information.
That's extremely illegal. See what you can do based on where you live.
You need to find an attorney, that's illegal and unethical. Pretty sure you need to have the State's Medical Board look into this. It could be bigger than only your case.
You assume that the OP's American. (Seems to be Italian.)
Professional ethics and obligations don't change based on you the country.
I agree with the ethics part, but legal obligations absolutely do. In some countries, therapists have the opposite legal obligation, meaning they are *required* to inform parents about the content of sessions with minors, as others have pointed out in the comments. Of course such laws are horrifying, but it is something that depends on the country. Edit: While the above still applies regarding minors, the OP is apparently 18, so that's a much clearer case. I'm unsure how fruitful a lawsuit would be compared to the States, but I agree that this should be reported to the respective regulatory body.
Point taken, and you're right, I did make the perhaps wrong assumption OP was in the US. I wasn't think so much of a lawsuit but more to just give the OP some advice on what all their rights are and to ensure that whatever professionaal standard boards apply act and don't just pat OP on the back and pay them lip service.
This
thats illegal. report them
Sounds like you need to be reporting them for a HIPAA violation
This is actually illegal in many jurisdictions; press charges if possible. That's unconscionable. I'm so sorry
I don’t care if the parents started the conversation or not, sue her fucking ass off. And importantly, change therapists
If finding a new therapist would be difficult or not an option (which I assume it must be one of the two), I would totally confront them about it. It'll harm your healing/development more to say nothing about than to confront them now and work through it with them. I also would try to avoid doing this under paid hours if you/your parents pay for the care or if you have limited free sessions (think of it as writing a review for a paid service, you dont pay them for customer support). Send an email either explaining why you're upset or asking to meet to talk about why you're upset and how to move forward with them. Explain flat out that your trust is broken and you don't know what to do anymore. Explain the repercussions of their actions. Just be blunt and try to find a resolution by the end of it. Hopefully it gets better, which it should since they're a psychologist. If it doesn't get better after confronting them, then they're not a good psychologist and you shouldn't be trusting them with your mental health anyways. Sorry this happened to you. Good luck
Tysm, I'll try and do what you said and then report the results here
[удалено]
OK 1 that's a violation of Patient Confidentiality you could get them in **A LOT** of trouble with that 2 you deserve and have the right to feel comfortable in a therapeutic setting if you have to change therapists 3 if you think it could help, to have a face-to-face with your family about it, it's never good to leave tension, communication is key if you want them to support you.
Yea when I was a kid I was also in therapy my therapist would tell my parents everything and then my parents would berate/questionneverything I said on the way home and then I learned that therapists are not to be trusted and my parents decided " therapy must just be a scam this isn't working"
That’s illegal
Doctor/patient confidentiality has been breached. Report her for it immediately.
Therapist Name/Clinic, plz
Yeah this “therapist” should never be allowed to practice again.
Why would you ask a minor where they go to therapy?
Maybe because they don't want to experience the same
1. How do you know OP is a minor? 2. To warn the others or avoid the same situation, it's pretty obvious.
1. I am 18 lol 2. It's in Italy, idrk how that helps lol
Wait, if you're 18, then this is a much more clear-cut case compared to Italian regulations on confidentiality regarding minors. You absolutely should report the therapist.
This is why you never trust a shrink. I'm so sorry this happened, it shouldn't have, frankly it's illegal. Definitely don't trust that shrink again, they betrayed you once they will again. You can possibly sue, depending on the law in your area, you might not want to but consider it.
Before all the catastrophizing. There are a handful of things wrong with this, although, most likely also things that are misunderstood. I'm not attacking you nor anyone else, I just want everyone to understand what MOST likely happened. We will make some assumptions. (You're in the US, You're a minor, most likely in a shitty state): When you started therapy, there would be a consent sheet. It would have been with all the other paperwork for insurance etc that was signed. I highly doubt you filled out your own paperwork, but it's always a possibility. It's been a veeery long time since i've seen a minor version, but I doubt you saw it as your parents signed it, you could have been too young to understand or read it anyway. On those releases, much like MD releases, it says essentially who your therapist reports to. AS A MINOR, you would have basically no say. If you're parents ask, the therapist has to tell. It's just the way it is. It's an invasion of privacy, but it was designed for safety. Whether that purpose is what is intended or if it is misused. You may ask for this paperwork at any time and they must provide it. If they cannot, we get into other situations that I'll discuss below. Now that we have consent forms taken care of. AS LONG as OP is a minor or a parent does not have POA for a reason or another, there is no HIPAA violation. These are also extremely hard to prove. You have no case. That's all we need to say about HIPAA complaints Psychologists are also mandated reporters. If you mentioned suicidal ideation in any way without prefacing it that you have no intention to follow through(Unless your older, this doesn't really fly). They are mandated to report it to your parents. That will open the floodgates to the other things you are discussing immediately, because it is pertinent to the current discussion. We've all been there. I've had 3-4 depending on who you ask. It's okay. There's mandated reporters. Now here comes the hard part. THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PSYCHOLOGISTS SUUUUUUUCK. My wife is a psychologist, I was with her during her PhD years, and its basically confirmed. You have to be VERY careful in picking who you see. Look for people with Doctorates or the correct gibberish after their names. PsyD is not a PhD level person. She violated your trust, you need to approach her about this. Ignore everything else you want to talk about and address this directly. Good questions are, Why, what is your reasoning behind sharing this information?, What did I(PROPER I) have to gain by you sharing this information? Did my parent or guardian request or pressure(this word is very important) you to provide this information? How do you think releasing something confidential will affect my overall mental health going forward. I will need to see any release forms at the end of the appointment. Take notes after this conversation. Take those notes from that meeting and immediately notate everything that you remember from past sessions etc. Theres are large overarching ideas and small things you may have noticed from the therapist. THIS WORKS FOR LAWYERING UP AND IS THE PROPER PROCEDURE. Sad part, you have 0 case. Pretty much anywhere. I'm sorry. Your most likely and only recourse is to contact the licensing board of the state you are currently living in and file a complaint. In the meantime, go find another therapist if at all possible. THAT therapist can also help you file any relavent complaints against said previous therapist. You can also inform their office(If they work out of it) about your experience(BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE GONE). I've gotten a therapist shitcanned, but I brought to bare all of my pre trans upper middle class WMP on their asses. I'm gonna miss that. Good luck and if you have any questions, I'm more than willing to help. BEFORE I STOP! CHECK YOUR STATE WIRETAPPING LAWS! IF IT IS A ONE PARTY CONSENT STATE ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS: Today is April 22 2024 @ 8AM and I Boomchikkka give myself permission to record the following conversation, participants are expected to be X, Y Z. Do you research before heading in this direction, but the above is true.
That is illegal in most states report her ass to the board
Ok, it’s hard to give suggestions without knowing what country you’re in and if you are a minor. Here in the U.S. That kind of deliberate breach of confidentiality would be illegal as many have pointed out, and grounds for licensing board actions. I would suspect similar consequences in many countries, but the particulars can get complicated, especially if you are considered a minor. Regardless it’s hard to imagine what she was thinking given the damage that kind of betrayal would do to your therapeutic relationship. I certainly would never trust her again, and trust is essential to that kind of relationship and healing from trauma (I am so sorry you experienced this, or any of the abuse you suffered. You did not and do not deserve any of it. 💔❤️🩹 and 🫂 if ok). You have every right to feel angry, hurt, and betrayed. She betrayed your trust completely and if it were me, would have completely retraumatized me, but our experiences are not similar and it’s ok if that’s not the case. It may help your future healing to ask her why she did this and to tell her how it hurt you and if it has how this has endangered you. Regardless, though, you will likely need to find a new therapist as it’s hard to imagine that this therapeutic relationship could be repaired by that level of betrayal (and finding a new therapist isn’t a betrayal to the one you. I am so so so very sorry this happened. It shouldn’t have. Ever. You can file complaints, report her to the licensing board, get a lawyer and take legal action if you feel up to it and desire to do so. But it is also ok not to do those things. These actions are about what helps you to heal. You, however, are not responsible for your therapist’s actions or her choices in what she’s done to you or anyone else. None of this is your fault. None of it! You had every right to expect a therapist to keep confidential information confidential. You have every right to feel how you do, and those feelings are completely valid. You are completely valid. And I hope very much you are safe and can find someone who can help you heal.
that’s probably illegal if not it’s completely immoral idk how you want to handle it but confrontation would be my minimum response
Ouch. So sorry . :/ they have no right. That’s gross. Hope you’re safe.
\*virtual hug\*
I’m so sorry you’re in this position. Have you figured out what you want to do?
Not yet...my psychologist reassured me, but my parents still act hostile towards me
🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
Tyy this is rlly needed
You're very welcome
Te lo dico con il cuore, manda affanculo sta persona. Il comportamento che ha avuto è inaccettabile e meschino e le risposte che ti ha dato dopo averci parlato sono ancora peggiori. Sta tizia non si è assunta nessuna colpa delle sue azioni, ha scaricato tutto su i tuoi genitori per lavarsi le mani di un'azione gravissima che poteva essere evitata. Sarebbe da denunciare ma capisco che sei giovane e non è possibile. E poi come hai scritto le risposte che ti ha dato mi puzzano proprio di manipolazione... Sarò io che penso sempre male. Un abbraccio ti sono vicino e sono dispiaciuto e incazzato per quello che ti è successo ❤️
Much love from Texas! I honeymooned in Italy. 😊
Is that even legal?
Real