Does there come a point where you don't have the right to talk about your problems?
Question:
But I'm considering quitting for two reasons: 1, the severity of the **** I've dealt with on a wide range of topics - perhaps it's good for me to talk about, but I have a hard time convincing myself that it's right to inflict it on anyone else.
2: two of the externally caused problems heavily involve other people in roles similar to my own, and I'm very iffy on the ethics involved in disclosure. Their stories are as important to my mental state as my own experiences, but I don't think I have the right to share them.
I know they've been trained, and I know about privacy policies. But counsellors are still people - the core of their usefulness but also of my dilemma.
I need input.
Answers:
Alcoholics Anonymous has a world famous 12 Steps to Recovery, and one of their steps reads: "Made direct amends to people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." In whatever we do, in psychotherapy or in 12 Step Recovery, the well being of others is as important as our own. I have been a counselor for 20+ years, now retired, and I espoused "letting it all hang out" as a way of finding our way to the core of the problem we need to resolve, but in the span of my counseling experience, I've never seen where "letting it all hang out" ever resolved anything. In a rare instance, maybe, but rare is the key word here. It was heavily espoused to expose all, but that had as much to do with the society of the time as anything else, even moreso. Sometimes, I believe, exposing all was a way to get back at or exact retribution more than solving anything, so, in all my verbage I would say that it's up to you, and that's not a cop-out. It's the bare facts. What you do and why is your responsibility, and whether exposing all is helpful to you in the long run is a matter only you can be responsible for. In my experience, it had mixed results, so I can't recommend either with any statistical reliability or validity. It's up to you. God Bless you.
Other Answers:
in my personal opinion you have the right to talk about your problems to a professional, whatever they maybe, and your problems obviously are not 'oops my fake nail busted off'. i think you have the right to share information if it impacts on your health, the most important thing is that you get the help you need.
You need to stick with councling, and you are probley on medication and need to stay on that as well, People like you are under the impression they are feeling good so they are cured, and well that simply isn't the case...
counclers are there to help you and make sure that your being a good part of society...and well to be quiet honest if you were my friend, I would be standing behind you making sure that you stayed with it....I have an old friend who was bi-polar, and she was off her mother fricken rocker when not on meds...
I loved her but it was WAY too much....
Stay on your stuff, stay in councling...and you will be fine...
You can talk about your problems as much as you want no limits,the counselors will keep the information confidential.You also don't have to name names if you don't want to.
I think in this situation, you need to put yourself first. If sharing the information with your counsellor helps you to "heal", then do so. You don't necessarily have to give names - just information. The counsellors chose their profession. They're there to listen to your problems, concerns, fears, experiences, etc. You are not burdening them with your problems, you're "airing" them out so you can work on a solution or resolution together. If counselling is helping, you certainly shouldn't stop.
No matter what has happened, you always have the right to talk to somebody about it. Yes counselors are people, but they are trained not only to listen, but to keep the issues you bring up during a session out of thier day to day life. If you're worried that you're inflicting pain on them, don't be. They do what they do because they can handle it. If they couldn't they wouldn't be in that field to begin with.
In regards to the stories you tell them, honestly I find that just changing the names in the story can be effective. Especially when trying to protect someone.
You say that you're aware of privacy policies and the such- so take comfort in the fact that you have (and can afford.) an unbiased third party to help you sort through your issues.
Don't leave therapy. You've already stated that it's a bad idea. Go with your gut instinct. :)
Of course you have the right to talk about your problems. You've got friends that would listen too. Never forget that.
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