I regard all that I learn about my clients
as fundamentally the clientsf possession,
not mine. This means that I would prefer not to respond
to inquiries of any kind from any source
when information is requested about my clients. Although there are some constraints (which
I describe below) that prevent my absolute
adherence to this policy, I remain as close
to it as possible. The codes of ethics of my profession explicitly
enjoin me to this policy. I will not divulge information about my clients,
including information about whether they
are or are not in therapy, whenever possible
without their knowledge and consent.
While there are very strict confidentiality
laws in other countries, there are no confidentiality
laws in Japan. Therefore, it is possible, although highly
unlikely, in a legal action that I as a psychotherapist
could be required to divulge information
about a client.
There are three (3) exceptions to strict
confidentiality in Japan. The first is that I may occasionally consult
with other professional psychologists and
psychotherapists about a client. These psychologists/psychotherapists
are under the same bond of confidentiality
as I am, and their aid can be markedly helpful
to the therapeutic work. When consulting with other psychologists/psychotherapists,
identifying information is changed as much
as is possible.
The second exception to strict confidentiality
is in situations where the client is a severe
danger to themselves or to other people. These are situations of imminent suicide or imminent harm to others, either as bodily harm or
property damage, and not other situations
in which a person may have these kinds of
thoughts. In these immanent situations I may contact
other involved people, such as a psychiatrist,
family members, or the police, without the
clientfs permission and/or knowledge. The purpose is protection of the client and/or
other involved people.
The third exception to strict confidentiality
is that it is my policy not to keep secrets
from members of a couple, family, or other
group of clients when more than one person
is in psychotherapy together. One of the foundations of successful psychotherapy
is honesty. If people are engaging psychotherapy together,
then anything that happens or is said to
me at any time is information that may be
conveyed to the other members who are participating
in psychotherapy together. If I as psychotherapist judge that something
that has been told to me outside of a multi-person
session is relevant information to what is
being discussed in the multi-person psychotherapy
session, then I am not bound by confidentiality
and am free to mention this information as
I judge appropriate.
With these exceptions, I maintain the confidentiality
that is important to my clients and our working
together. If you wish information given to others (e.g.
insurance carriers, physicians, etc.) this
will be done only on your written authorization. Clients need to be aware that giving such
authorization may constitute a waiver of
their right of confidentiality so that others
may secure that information from the insurance
company.
The foreigner community in the Kansai area
is very small. It is not uncommon to meet a client at a
social gathering or public place or hear
people making references to someone they
know, who happens to be a client. At such times I as the therapist keep confidentiality
to the extent of not even acknowledging the
client unless the client acknowledges me. It is up to the client to determine what
kind of, if any, contact they wish to have
with me. I also will not divulge any confidential
information in any social situation.
If you have any questions, please avail yourself
of my readiness to discuss this important
matter.
