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I'm a qualified psychotherapist with a master’s in counselling and a decade running an international practice across 20+ countries. Here's what I've learned about therapy privacy that most practitioners won't discuss.
Why Therapy Notes Could Destroy Your Life
Notes are useful for tracking progress. In big systems, they help if you change therapists.
But they can also wreck your life.
If you're LGBTQ in a hostile country, or in a high-stakes career, leaked notes can out you. If you're a founder prepping an IPO, they can put your deal at risk. If you're a politician or public figure, they can destroy your career.
Most therapists won't show you these notes, even when you ask. This practice is standard across the industry, though hardly reassuring for clients.
My approach: you choose. I can take no notes, take them and share with you, or take them and not share them with you. You’re the client. You decide.
👉 Read the full breakdown on therapy notes
When 'Getting Help' Becomes Dangerous
Sometimes we feel terrible. Depression is common. But in therapy, discussions around feeling suicidal are tricky.
In certain places, a therapist is obligated to notify the authorities if you disclose suicidal thoughts. Even if suiciding is a crime in your country. Even if you have terminal cancer.
Furthermore, the rules about self-harm are unclear. Just mentioning it leads to an automatic report in some places.
Read the small print. Your therapist agreement should spell out exactly when your privacy ends—and what happens next.
My Approach: I lived for 30+ years in places where they'd punish you for suicide or being LGBTQ, so I know the risks of getting the authorities' attention. My priority is your safety, which is why I offer personalized plans tailored to your needs.
Before we start sessions, we discuss your mental health history. If you are at risk, we discuss what’s safe in your country.
Usually, we see mental health crisis coming and we plan for them. But if one hits unexpectedly, and you tell me you're ending your life and refuse help, I’ll call your emergency contact. This is someone you select and approve before we begin sessions.
BetterHelp Sold and Health Assured Shared Your Secrets
Think your therapy app is safe? Think again.
BetterHelp was fined $7.8 million by the FTC for selling client data to Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest and Criteo. You told them your deepest secrets. They turned your mental health struggles into profit..
They're not alone. Many “mental health tech” platforms harvest your data and send it to advertisers. This practice is deceptive and harmful.
In the UK, Health Assured, the country’s largest employee assistance programme, let employers and other people eavesdrop on sessions. Managers could listen in real-time to employee therapy sessions without the client's knowledge or consent. Clients were never told. As the BBC reported, this is standard practice in workplace mental health.
My approach: I won’t confirm you’re a client—even if your ex or boss asks. I don’t talk about clients. Ever. Period.
👉 Read: Can You and Your Friend See the Same Therapist?
Accreditation: A Nice Word for “I Share Your Case Notes”
The BACP is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the UK's largest therapy accreditation body, and it wants you to think “accredited” means better. It actually means your therapist has to share your notes.
Notes are often emailed. Anonymised? Sometimes. But if you live in a small town, work in a niche field, or have a public-facing job, you're still exposed.
It gets worse. To keep their shiny title, accredited therapists must pay other therapists to read your notes and give feedback. It’s a pyramid scheme dressed up as professionalism.
So clients pay for therapy... then pay again with their privacy.
Oh, the BACP endorses Health Assured.
My approach: I left the BACP. I protect your confidentiality, I don’t hand over your records to climb someone else’s ladder.
👉 Why I Quit the BACP
Want to Keep Safe? Ask These Questions:
Before your first session, get clear answers to:
• Who sees my notes?
• Where are they stored?
• What happens to my information if I'm involved in legal proceedings?
• Have you discussed another client with anyone in the last year?
If they won’t answer clearly, or the contract’s full of jargon—walk away.
How I Work Differently"
• You choose your level of note-taking and sharing
• Your emergency contact is someone you select in advance
• I don't confirm client relationships to anyone, ever
• No sharing of case details ever for supervision or accreditation
• Plain English agreements with no hidden clauses
Your secrets should stay secret.
If you’re paying for therapy, you deserve better than marketing schemes, email leaks, and industry excuses.
I offer confidential, affordable therapy—and I work for you, not for a boardroom or badge.
Ready for therapy that puts your privacy first? Message me today via email ellen.whyte@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +44 7514 408143 for your free 15-minute consultation.
Note: with thanks to Chris Sansbury from Pixabay for the image.
