breach of confidentiality question

[Gwennie]

I've been with my counselor for roughly a year.  I like her a great deal and have
told her information "off the record" that had nothing to do with my mental health
issues.  She told me she would not put that information in the notes.  However, the
therapy session notes need to be revealed somewhere.  I had her double check
to make sure that "off the record" information was not put in the notes.  She discovered
that she slipped and did put it in a couple of times.  While there are tons of notes and
the slips are only a few sentences, she told me that she is not allowed to remove the
information that she promised she would not put in the notes.  This information is a problem
for me and now I cannot proceed in letting the notes be released.  Do I have any recourse
to her putting in the notes information she specifically told me she would keep private
between the two of us??  An apology isn't good enough because this has consequences for me.

[acousticeagle]

The thing is, counsellors take clinical approach to a client. The client is usually very caught up in the emotional side of what they are verbally communicating to their counsellor.

You might say to her/him "keep this off the record" but they might just be taking notes as they see fit regardless. What it comes to is your fears of what your counsellor might do with the information they're gathering from you. But be encouraged, as while you think that you may be the only person that's ever had these problems ie what you're relating to your counsellor, they've probably heard it before, and are used to people talking in a manner as you have been doing.

I think it's part of human nature to think that we, that is, the individual, is the only person to have ever had these thoughts/feelings/problems. But I think we'd be surprised to learn, being so caught up in our own states, that there are many feelings, thoughts and problems that are commonly shared. I think what you want from this counsellor is her/his trust. But what I will reiterate is that you are seeing a professional, not a friend, and they will conduct themselves according to their training and interactions with your other medical professionals in that network.

If you do feel particularly uncomfortable with something you want to relate to this counsellor, then maybe that thing could be shared to another person that you feel you could trust more like a friend who is a good confidante.