when is it ok for a counselor to ask for / require this?

[janedoeLA]

that I release all medical, mental health and educational records from my whole life? I can understand talking to mental and medical - but this therpaist is even asking for police records of a traumatic event that we have not even talked about, no time to do so before she just suspended the therapy, and wants school records... I have no idea why. She says she must review all of this information and get all the records before she will see me again.

I don't know why.

It doesn't feel good. I don't know why it feels bad and so invasive... I'm not hiding anything. It's also a lot of money to pay for all the record copies...

is this ever ok for a therapist to suddenly stop therapy and say they won't continue until they have all this info? Is it common for therapists to ask for this? require this?

It's hard to find a new therapist right now, so I can't just easily go see someone else. I really like seeing this therapist too. and she has been very helpful for me. But it's been almost three months since I have seen her - she keeps recheduling, and saying she needs this stuff, and I ask if we can talk about it first...

I'm so mixed up...

She is a great therapist who has been very helpful to me and is highly recommended. This feels really wierd to me. But am I overreacting?

[Dr. Adams]

(I must admit that I came very close to not authorizing your membership in this forum: you responded to required biographical material in a non-disclosive manner which violates the forums' rules. That said, I shall, allow your membership to remain and respond to your question).

I do not know to what the generic "therapist" nomenclature refers...is this a counselor, social worker, is the individual trained and licensed...etc.

Since you appear to value this person's services, feel he/she is of assistance to you, I am uncertain why you would not willingly release such data. It is at her discretion whether she agrees to see you if you are noncompliant.

Secondly, I am not certain why she is seeking these data unless there are aspects about your case that are creating concerns for her about what data you have not revealed.

Finally, if these are data that she requires, then she should/must explain why these should be made available to her, and the resistance on your part needs to be discussed with her.

[janedoeLA]

Dear Dr. Adams

Thank you for your response.

I did not disclose more information simply because I was not sure how public all of it would be. I would be gla dto send you privately further information about me. I didn't want to give mor einformaiton because I didn't want my therapist to connect the post to me, or to have anyone beable to tell what therapist I am posting about. I am actually trying to protect her. Perhaps I went about that wrong?

She is a M.A. who is a trained licensed therapist. She teaches psychology at a local college in the smaller sized town I live in (and I believe one of the classes is online again this semester. Thus my extra caution.)

I am really pretty ok with her having the information -

I just am not ok with not knowing why she wants it, and with her requiring to have it before we talk about any of it. I think if she told me why she wants it, she explained the reasons, then I think I could trust her iwth it and just move on. But my problem is that she didn't tell me why.

And she won't see me again to talk about it until she has it. She just called on a Sunday night cancelling appointments and then emailed saying she needed it and won't see me until she has it all.

I really trust her, and think she is a good therapist, but this threw me off...

so that's why I am trying to figure out why and in what kinds of situations this would be ok....

does that make sense?

I am so mixed up about it.

[Dr. Adams]

1. Providing me with private, personal data is not necessary nor appropriate. The purpose of the biographical data is for all members to read as well as to have some assurance that these are not spam and that the posts are sincere.]

2. States vary as to whom they license and what these people are called. In many States, the temp "counselor" and" therapist" are generic and not governed by law. As a general recommendation, I would suggest that any individual seek the highest level of competency available in their community.

3. I am wondering why you continue to want to be seen by someone with whom you already feel appreciable conflict.

4. I am not certain what these data are that she is seeking. Perhaps you could decide if there is information that would be helpful to her or:
a. Is she simply in a power struggle with you as to with what you will...or will not comply
b. Within this information she is requesting, are there diagnostically significant data

5. I shall assume that you have been provided a diagnosis and treatment plan based upon appropriate diagnostic studies