Confidentiality in Therapy
Confidentiality in therapy is the legal and ethical protection that what you share with your therapist stays between you, with narrow exceptions that every therapist explains before you begin: risk of serious harm to yourself or others, abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, and court orders. Inside those limits, the room is private.
Privacy is not a courtesy in therapy; it is the working condition that makes candor possible, and it is protected by licensing boards, state law, and HIPAA. Insurance billing shares only the minimum required, and your therapist will not confirm to anyone that you are a client without your written permission.
The exceptions exist to protect life and safety, and they are narrower than people fear. A good intake covers them in plain language so nothing is surprising later; ours does, and the practical details live in our FAQs.
Common questions
Will my therapist tell my partner or family what I say?
No. Without your written consent, your therapist does not share session content with family members, and in couples or family work the ground rules for individual disclosures are set explicitly at the start.
Does confidentiality work differently for teenagers?
Somewhat. Teens need private space for therapy to work, and parents are kept in the loop on safety and big-picture progress rather than session detail. The therapist explains the exact arrangement to both teen and parents in the first meeting.
Related terms
Want to talk it through with a person?
A free 15-minute call is an easy way to ask how any of this applies to you.