Am I overly concerned about privacy?

IainEtc wrote:Maybe check with Sasha about this ok? She's pretty smart.

Cody

Hi Cody--Thanks! I'm less bothered about all this than some of the others, so I'm probably not the best person to ask! But thanks for thinking of me! <3 <3 --Sasha

VioletFlux wrote:Even if 'nobody else' was concerned, they should be.

V2

That's what I thought, and what I wrote to him in my email yesterday.

myce wrote:A patient's name is personal data that should be secured and his phone should be locked, not talking. I was also especially disturbed by him bringing his personal business with the auto shop into your session. A client may have trouble asserting themselves and it seems a bit exploitative to me.

Someone's name is protected information only if they are identifiable as a patient. I found this on the government website for Health and Human Services:

"The relationship with health information is fundamental. Identifying information alone, such as personal names, residential addresses, or phone numbers, would not necessarily be designated as PHI"

So when his phone announces someone's name, he's correct that it isn't associated with any other information. One can infer that it's a client based on the pattern or frequency of texting, but they wouldn't know for sure (although they might still assume that it is unless proven otherwise). Since I happened to see that piece of paper with a first name on it and then hear the text from (probably) that person, that made me feel more sure about it. (I can't be 100% sure it's the same person, but it was an unusual first name). So it's technically legal, but given everyone's unanimous response to the idea, it's NOT a good practice.

About the auto shop thing, I think that he would have extended the session by whatever amount of time he had to speak on the phone, and I'm pretty sure that if we were talking about something really intense, then he wouldn't take the call. I'm usually pretty assertive about what he does or says during a session, so that may have played a part in his decision. I might ask him about that, actually, now that you pointed that out. Like I said, it's never happened before that he has asked to take a call during my session.

What happens when a client of his gets into crisis...? Is there a contract/plan? Does he work in a team or alone?

He should;

- have seperate phones for work/private

- set up a secured program for emailing/texting (this is a worldwide thing)

- never ever bother you again with unimportant private stuff like buying cars in your time (it doesn't make him a saint that he would be willing to add the time he used for the phonecall; the phonecall about buying cars is interruptive and not more important than your session)

- write 'reports' about every session of every client after a session, which would make it impossible to schedule them back to back

- learn about boundaries and commitment!

This is so serious because this is about boundaries. How can he teach you about boundaries if he has no clue what so ever himself?? How can you believe him when he says he cares if he doesn't show commitment in his actions? Being 'flexible with time' is not commitment but nonchalance! He clearly has a blind spot when it comes to privacy and it's not like privacy isn't a major deal for abused people. That's what's so upsetting. We're talking basics here that should be no brainers for him in this situation, in his specialty.

He's only human ofcourse, I'm sorry if I'm overreacting.

-- Mon Aug 06, 2018 7:30 am --

Ugh, there we go already because this man doesn't have his act together. You weren't overly concerned and I wasn't overreacting.

Basics that should be no brainers for him. It worries me that this is not the case. Period.

I think there's a difference in how most inpatient and outpatient therapists handle things like this, especially if they have their own practise.

But I personally don't think he did something wrong by using only one phone, but I do prefer if Ts have a professional email and separate phone. I do think he could've asked his wife to deal with the call.

I agree with your concerns, Gang. And I sure hope he gets his act together!

Bejer,
As I mentioned on Saturday evening, he fixed the issue about the phone, and I am fine with the way things are right now. He and I will talk about it more on Wednesday. I agree that I wasn't overly concerned, and I appreciated the support from all of you.

However, I agree more with the side of you that pointed out that you might be overreacting. You've misread some of what I wrote (it had nothing to do with buying cars), and are kind of extrapolating it into something much bigger than it is. I don't have any concerns about his level of commitment at all, and I don't feel that he is nonchalant about our relationship or about our time together.

It does have to do with boundaries, but not between him and me, which are the boundaries that I am most concerned about, and the ones that I know he thinks about a lot and teaches others about. It's more like the boundary around our relationship that should keep the existence and (of course) the content of it private.

Thanks, fireheart! Yeah--I had that thought about the call also, but I know how the division of labor works in a marriage and while I could handle a call like that, I would probably still end up running the information by my husband before making a decision, while he would be more likely to just make a decision himself.

Anyway, I can't stop more people from commenting on this thread, but I'm feeling done with it and pretty much have been since Saturday evening when I felt supported by everyone and heard from him that he turned off the notification feature.

It wasn't overreacting, that was a part who was designed to feel that way when feeling hurt by wrong doings.

If he fixed just your notification, he's still invading the privacy of other patients. That's a mindset thing. Boundaries around your relationship, áre boundaries between you. The relationship doesn't stop after interaction. Respecting your privacy, committing to your time together, is respecting YOU.

I'll stop now, because it's absolutely crazy if this will turn into a conflict because of his careless behavior towards you.

He turned off the notification feature that announces people's names.

A boundary AROUND two people is different than a boundary BETWEEN them. Completely different.

He is very committed to our time together and to our relationship, which does continue when I'm not there. A big part of our work has to do with getting all of the parts to feel and know that, and that has been progressing well.

This is someone who has been, and is, helping me a lot with things that I didn't really think were fixable. He would be the first to tell you that he isn't perfect. All someone can do is to do their best at any given time and then work to improve what their best is.

He's very prominent and highly thought of in the ISSTD, very skilled at what he does, and I put a lot of thought into choosing him. I wanted feedback about this one particular concern and have gotten more than enough to give me a larger perspective on this issue.

Thank you for stopping and for keeping any ongoing concerns to yourself.

This T's cell phone behaviors would bother me a great deal. At the very least, the interruption of my sessions would be unacceptable. My T's were very clear with me that if it is an emergency I need to call for emergency services or go to an emergency room. Their voicemail messages all started with "If this is an emergency call . . ."

I wouldnt be concerned with the no separate exit. I've never been in any office, therapist, dr., or other that had different exits and entrances.

The phone thing... I dont knoe. If it didnt say last names, maybe I'd be ok with it. But I'm not sure, and definitely not if last names were being said. I kinda see why he has it set like that, but I'm not sure how I feel about that one.

K

As a Healthcare worker, two things bother me. The text notifications. 1. It's a violation in front of other clients and 2. It's a violation in front of his family. Secondly, there should not be written anything with client information in view of other clients. It's another PHI violation and your T could be in hot water. I'd say if things don't get better, I'd tell him you're going report it as a HIPAA (at least in the United States) violation. At least your T is being accommodating with offering music for sound muffling and is being beyond kind with the 15 min before and after time window. But that's my preference. I don't care if someone sees me coming and going to an appointment. They don't know why I'm there and vice versa. Or know my name.