Am I overly concerned about privacy?

I would like people's opinions about this because it's come up a few times with my T, and he has said that other people are not concerned about these things (or at least have never commented to him about them).

The first and most minor (although it did bother me) is that he doesn't have a separate entrance and exit for clients. He has since fixed this for me by not seeing anyone within 15 minutes of when he sees me--before and after (and that also fixed the second problem, below), but initially, I would be sitting in the waiting room across from his office door, less than 10 feet away (and right next to the exit door to the hallway), and whoever he just saw would have to walk right past me, just like I would have to walk right past whoever was waiting to see him after me.

The second one is that his office isn't soundproof at all. So initially, I would be finishing a session with him, and hear someone sitting in the waiting room when they would enter and sit down, clear their throat, or cough, or whatever, really clearly, which meant they could hear me.

The times I arrived before he finished a session or phone consultation with someone, I could hear most of what was being said. When I brought it up with him, he offered to turn on the radio in the waiting room during my session so someone arriving wouldn't be able to hear us. And he said that he should be more mindful of that issue, and thanked me for pointing it out.

The third one is that when he has text notifications turned on, his phone announces the first and last name of whoever is texting. A few months ago, he had his phone in the room, and the same person texted three times within a short span of time. He turned off the notifications then, and usually has them off during a session, but it was clear to me that this was a client (a friend or family member wouldn't do that, unless it was really urgent, in which case he would probably say that he needed to respond. And a colleague certainly wouldn't do that).

At the time, I didn't realize this was for texts. When I heard "message from x," I stupidly thought it was someone calling and leaving a voicemail, which I don't do, so I didn't think it affected me personally. But it concerned me because it seemed to be breaking someone's confidentiality, so I wrote in the journal to him about it, and he said he would "find the fix."

Well, since then, I've been texting him 2 or 3 times a week, with no idea that my name is being announced out loud each time. Yesterday, he had his phone there because he was expecting a call from an auto shop (which he said he wouldn't take if I didn't want him to), and the same person texted him twice in a row, with "message from [first and last name]" being announced. I had happened to see their distinctive first name on a piece of paper when I walked into the office--on the table right near where I sit--so I knew it was a client that he had seen earlier that day. He had tried to turn off the notifications after the first text, but somehow it hadn't worked.

I was really upset to realize that every time I had been texting him, my name was being announced. He said that I've never texted him when he was in a session with anyone (just by chance), and he also said that he turns off notifications during sessions--but obviously that's not always true. He said that people around his house "don't pay attention" to his phone--which means they have heard clients' names announced. When I said that clients' names are protected information, he said that other people have no way of knowing whether the text is from a client or someone else, but really, if someone is texting him repeatedly (I don't do that, but clearly other people do), or even regularly, then of course it's likely they are a client.

He takes my feelings about this seriously, and plans to change the notification he gets when I text so that it doesn't say my name, but he said that no one else has ever commented about this or seemed to care. So maybe it's because I have a lot of "behind the scenes" experience in the mental health field and am more aware of these things, rather than just because of trust issues? I'm really curious to hear other people's opinions about this.

We get anxious if we can hear muffled voices so it would definitely bother us if we could hear things or people could hear us clearly.

Why would you even set your phone to announce people's whole names? That itself seems crazy and dangerous to us. I mean I avoid giving any details about us or other people so I can't even imagine why anyone would think that's a good idea.

Onto people won't know its a client when his phone announces a message from you. Well that's just bollocks his friends and family and even most of his work colleagues will know at least partial names of the people in his social circle. And if your not then it must be about work probably a client.

It would make us feel very unsafe to know information about us was becoming public. I know its not anything more then the name but if he is so careless with that we would worry he would be careless with other information.

We have been called paranoid because of our preoccupation with safty and our lack of trust for the human race in general so I'm gonna ask Ozalces what he thinks.

Hi Gang,

So, we don't have like barely any experience with lots of this stuff. Our T is the first time we've willingly been seeing a psychologist, ever. We've seen one or two in the past but it was a long time ago and wasn't our choice. We've seen a psychiatrist a few times in the past but that was also long ago.

On the other hand, I don't think anything you're worried about is unfounded. I agree with your concerns 100%.

Our T has her office in an old house, there's like 6 others who also work out of this building but I've never seen more than 3 so they don't all use it at the same time I think. Anyways, the entrance and exit is the same door, but the waiting room is on the main floor and there's one office on the main floor and I think there's 2 or 3 offices on the second floor. Our T is on the 2nd floor. The main floor office is separated from the waiting room by a hallway so it's not like, one thin door away.

I don't know if her office is soundproof or if its because of the way the place is set up, but we've never heard any noises outside her office when we're in with her.

And our T never books people back to back. She always has a 30 minute 'buffer' between clients, so like when you see her, there's nobody just leaving, and when you leave, there's nobody waiting to come in.

Finally, I have never, ever heard our T's phone ring or beep or buzz, in the 7 months or whatever that we've been seeing her. She ither has it turned off, or set completely silent or something. I think we'd be really distracted and upset and Mike would get really pissed off, if she was getting texts and whatever while we were in a session.

The phone announcing text names, do you mean that it like says that out loud? That's crazy. I'd be upset just hearing the thing beep or buzz but having it like talk out loud with someone's name? I'd be like, turn that off when we're in session. We've never texted our T, I don't know how to feel about the iddea that it'd be announcing our name outloud to anyone in earshot but I think I'd be upset.

That sounds like it actually would be like breaking some kind of confidentiality thing. I mean like if the guy was out at dinner or whatever, and people know he's a T, and his phone is telling everyone in earshot he's getting a text from Firstname Lastname, they're all gonna assume it's a client.. that's Extremely Bad, I think.

So yeah. I don't think you're overly concerned. I think you're exactly the right amount concerned.

V2

At work my employers constantly remind us of the sensitive nature of the information we deal with and the methods employed to protect it, this has recently been updated due to new legislation from the EU.

The behaviour described would be considered a breach of these rules and could result being fired and fines.

TheGangsAllHere I can confirm you correct to be concerned about the privacy and security of information about held by your T.

Thanks, NyxX, V2, and Ozalces.

Of course, now I'm feeling a little defensive of my T, because he is a really great T (Meredith says, "The best in the whole world!!"). The reason he gave for having the text notifications is so he can hear who's texting so he knows whether he wants/needs to look at it right away, or if it can wait. Especially when he's driving (this is area where people spend a LOT of time in their car, and driving time can be unpredictable).

I don't know how he has things set up with other clients in terms of texting, but I imagine that he gets a lot of non-urgent texts that don't need to be looked at until it's convenient. Because the only limit he can set is how/when he responds. He can't actually stop someone from texting him as many times as they want to.

But I'm glad you all agree that the solution can't be announcing their full names where anyone could hear it. Perhaps he could use initials or something (I don't know exactly how text notifications use the contact data). He said that the next time I see him, he will have fixed the notification of MY texts, and I can send him a text right then to be able to hear what his phone says. In the meantime, I'm only using email to contact him.

Hey Gang,

Yeah I know you've spoken highly of your T a lot, and I'm sure he's good. I hope you and he can get these things sorted out so you're happy and comfortable with the situation.

I'm sure there's other ways to handle the whole text notification thing. There's like, ways you can get it so that stuff shows up on a wristwatch then he could just like glance at his wrist instead of having his phone shouting stuff to the world.

V2

#######4.

this #####& is ignoring basic rules of privacy.

yes clients should not pass each other.

why the ###$ doesn't he have a sound machine outside the door?

hell no his phone cannot announce ######6 names!!! that's a hipaa violation. stupid ###$.

my t didn't even save client numbers under their name at all. they had a code assigned. like F2367 as the contact info.

he needs to get his ######6 $#%^ together. he might be a decent T in session but he is seriously ###$ on the notion of privacy. then to gaslight you about it?

I'm 80% sure that text announce is ILLEGAL.

I would not like the idea of people hearing either. Or first AND last name text announcements.

we never had a T who could manage that patients never have to pass each other. it is kind of patient etiquette to come in just in time to give the patient before you a chance to leave. if the T makes sure to end a session in time it means there is no problem. our last T had a slightly seperated waiting area, it would take special effort to see who is coming and going.

yes, it would bother us if we knew that we can be heard outside. We know one T who installed double doors, one on each side of the door frame, to keep sound inside. a door that shuts well could be a cheap solution to that problem...

we would personally be very upset about the message thing. that is done poorly and would freak us out. names should not come up. we never had a T who had a phone nearby during session. if there was one in the room it was always completely muted and would only get checked between sessions. what does he even get from those notifications? its not like he would answer within your session, right?

Thanks, Sarandipity and birdsong.

BeccaBee, I laughed out loud at your reply, and read it to my husband, inserting all the correct words as best I could. You are seriously someone to NEVER f*ck with! I'm glad to have you on MY side--you would be scary to go up against!!