Human beings are story-telling animals. Once our needs for shelter, food, and connection are accounted for, that which we most require is stories. Narratives are so fundamental to humanity they appear to be co-emergent with the origin of the species. For as long as mankind has existed, there are stories — painted on cave walls, carved into stone, sung in ballads, inscribed on parchment, printed into books, made into movies, and binge-watched on Netflix.
Psychotherapy is personal. Deeply personal. So it makes sense that anyone considering therapy needs assurance that whatever is said in therapy stays in therapy. That’s why, when I meet a client for the very first time, I spend the first few minutes carefully explaining the rules of confidentiality.
Here’s how it goes. I do not disclose your information (i.e., what you tell me in session) to anyone or any organization, without your explicit written consent. That means that our sessions are a safe repository for the facts of your life, your hopes, dreams, fears, opinions, regrets, most awkward and painful moments, victories and successes, and anything else you might share with me. As I often tell my clients, it’s like the walls are 400 feet thick. You can talk about anything here. And in a lot of ways, that’s the whole point of therapy.