Therapists seeing therapists

[sunshine008]

Hi, all.

Question-
is it true that when you see a therapist/counselor and it goes through your insurance, medical/psych professionals can then go back and see your records and that you were once in therapy? I ask because I am currently in training to be a psychologist and thinking about seeing a therapist myself (life stressors, nothing diagnosable, likely), but I do not want this to affect me or my professional image when I do clinical work in the future. Perhaps this is a silly question, but I would appreciate feedback. Is it better to see someone NOT through my insurance and pay out of pocket? Thanks, all.

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[deleted407083]

Hi, all.

Question-
is it true that when you see a therapist/counselor and it goes through your insurance, medical/psych professionals can then go back and see your records and that you were once in therapy? I ask because I am currently in training to be a psychologist and thinking about seeing a therapist myself (life stressors, nothing diagnosable, likely), but I do not want this to affect me or my professional image when I do clinical work in the future. Perhaps this is a silly question, but I would appreciate feedback. Is it better to see someone NOT through my insurance and pay out of pocket? Thanks, all.

This is the common debate. Technically you shouldn't be working for the same agency you go to therapy for, so it tends to be a non-issue of coworkers looking at your files.

Personally, I use my healthcare insurance for therapy. I believe every therapist should have their own therapist as it shows good practice. However, depends on your program. I would bring this up with one of your advisors.

 

[psychstudent601]

Hi, all.

Question-
is it true that when you see a therapist/counselor and it goes through your insurance, medical/psych professionals can then go back and see your records and that you were once in therapy? I ask because I am currently in training to be a psychologist and thinking about seeing a therapist myself (life stressors, nothing diagnosable, likely), but I do not want this to affect me or my professional image when I do clinical work in the future. Perhaps this is a silly question, but I would appreciate feedback. Is it better to see someone NOT through my insurance and pay out of pocket? Thanks, all.

Do you mean future employers/peers in the future might have access? I would imagine similar rules would apply for therapy as do for medical issues--not just anyone can have access to that information. I for one don't have any idea why someone who isn't treating you would have access to such a thing. I also know that for MSW programs (and probably some PhD programs?) you are actually encouraged to see a therapist. I would not go to such lengths as to pay out of pocket for a therapist--that adds up really quickly and may prevent you from seeing someone as long as you would want/need to.

 

[PHD12]

Hi, all.

Question-
is it true that when you see a therapist/counselor and it goes through your insurance, medical/psych professionals can then go back and see your records and that you were once in therapy? I ask because I am currently in training to be a psychologist and thinking about seeing a therapist myself (life stressors, nothing diagnosable, likely), but I do not want this to affect me or my professional image when I do clinical work in the future. Perhaps this is a silly question, but I would appreciate feedback. Is it better to see someone NOT through my insurance and pay out of pocket? Thanks, all.

It is my understanding that using insurance can be an issue when you apply for life insurance later and it can definitely be an issue if you are applying for highly sensitive positions (FBI, CIA).

In terms of your average employer, they should not be able to see your medical/psychiatric records. If you can find someone really low cost then it may be worth going outside insurance just to play it safe.

 

[psychRA]

Technically you shouldn't be working for the same agency you go to therapy for, so it tends to be a non-issue of coworkers looking at your files.

This makes sense in a private practice or community mental health center, but can get a bit trickier if you work for a large hospital or healthcare system. You may not work in the same clinic, building, or even the same city where you receive services, but if electronic medical records are accessible to everyone in the healthcare system, it's technically possible for your employer to view your records. I worked for a giant city hospital before grad school, and that's also where I got all of my medical care, because a) it was the biggest and best facility in town and b) everyone there took our employee insurance. Any one of my coworkers could have read my chart if they really wanted to.

Luckily, there tend to be safeguards in place to prevent this - every hospital I've worked in has had an extra "This person is an employee - are you SURE you want to read this chart?" flag that popped up before you accessed an employee chart. You may also be able to request an additional layer of security for therapy notes. And of course, it's easy to monitor electronic records, so a coworker would be taking a big risk if they chose to view your file. However, it's something to keep in mind.

ETA: The above only applies to a situation where you get services within the same system where you work. As far as I know, a future employer at an unrelated institution wouldn't have the ability to get your records without your permission.

 

[Bayside]

It's also worth bearing in mind that if you don't meet the criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis your insurance may not cover the cost of sessions so you may be paying out of pocket anyway. Theoretically, mental healh records are better protected than general medical records ....