A Word on Confidentiality

 

I want to take a minute to talk to you about confidentiality in therapy and mental health treatment. 

Before talking with any individual therapist about our war experience, it might be smart to have a candid conversation about the limits of confidentiality. This is especially true if you have something sensitive you need to disclose. 

I recommend that you ask:

• Who will have access to clinical notes, 
• What our therapists have to report to our chain of command or to our health insurance, and 
• the level of detail in the therapist's notes, written in our medical records

Additionally, I encourage asking for a copy of our medical records and reading them. 

Any mental health therapist should be open and transparent about this. In my clinical training, we were taught to address this during the first session and review HIPAA. 

The relationship that you have with your therapist is important for your full recovery from PTSD or moral injury. And trust matters. 

*****

“If you believe change is possible, you want to change, and you are willing to do the work, you absolutely CAN get your life back.”

Get your copy of The Soldier's Guide to PTSD, The Soldier's Workbook, 

or Acknowledge & Heal, A Women's-Focused Guide to PTSD