Being Honest In Therapy?

[Ita]

I'm seeing a new therapist next week. One of the reasons is PTSD from child abuse and the other is for something I haven't brought up yet and I need your input based on experience, feedback and opinions. I'm not sure if I'm telling my therapist yet but it has to do with being hacked and stalked last year; location, web-cam, places I went. Even private moments with another therapist I'd seen only for a day for a consultation that I never went back to. After half a year it stopped and it never happened again. What would happen if I tell her? Reason I ask is because some therapists report certain things and then others just help you settle emotionally or whatever it is. She's a social worker, mind you.

 

[Basup]

I don't see that you being stalked will be a reason for your therapist to report anything.

 

[Ekoh]

I would guess that she would report it, but I do not know for sure. I assume you don't want to be involved in a long court case, should the officials press charges against him or her. If that is the case, you need to find out if your therapist would indeed report this, before you divulge it.

I would like to give you a bit of advice though: if I were you, I would tell my therapist. This is something that you need to work on in therapy. Your therapist, if it does go to court, can help you all the way through this and beyond it, should the person be imprisoned. This is just my opinion. I pray for peace of mind for you, none the less, no matter what you decide to do.

 

[Emuj]

It depends on your age, if you're a minor she may need to report but if not I would expect her to hold confidentiality. She should have explained confidentiality when you started working with her, and you can always ask and check things out again - she should be happy to explain and give examples of when she would need to report.

I'm guessing that being stalked has left you fearful and struggling to trust - that's natural and your therapist can help you with that.

 

[Ita]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Just adding... the person cannot be caught. They are hacker(s). Or what I assume was multiple people so they left no trace. Even when I told the police, they said they couldn't help because there was no evidence and it looked like I was delusional. When I clearly was not. This is why I asked, initially.

 

[Zazapa]

Oh, well then go ahead and discuss it with your therapist. You need to work on this for your own sanity!

 

[Alir]

I was raped by a therapist. I live in the US. I was not a minor. I told another therapist, they were bound by law to keep it confidential and not report it or talk about it with anyone - unless they had signed written consent from me.

The laws may be different for your area, and the best thing is to ask under what circumstances they would and would not report.

But in general, if trauma therapists had to contact police for every trauma that adult clients reported to them, then they would not have time to do anything.

Even if your therapist did report, the police can't use any of it in court. It would all be hearsay. They would have to get statements and evidence directly from you and it sounds like they already spoke to you. So if the therapist did report, the police sadly wouldn't be likely to do much.

I don't think your therapist would report either the private moments with you or the cyber stalking.

One exception: if the private moments with a therapist was a criminal act and this therapist was very known to work with minors. There is a slight chance they would report because of the on-going risk to minors. Even then, the police would need statement and evidence from you to do anything with the report and you can say no comment and they would likely leave you alone.

But best to ask the therapist.