More swans? Reverting posts to draft.

GDPR is very much in my mind. Anyone who holds digital information about another person is a 'data controller' and as I write notes about my clients, I'm a data controller and so I have to have a policy, explaining how I will handle any requests for notes from clients on my website. Actually I've always had a policy of transparency, if a client wants their notes the protocol is that they sign to say that they accept responsibility for their information and that their therapist is no longer able to preserve the confidentiality of the notes. 

Then they also have a choice, to go through the notes with me, or to simply have the notes.

The ICO is very keen on confidentiality - the way notes are stored - and the law is very keen on clients being able to see their notes and correct any information about themselves that they don't want recorded. Should I make another, more assertive request to see my notes? Would The therapist regard this as more harassment? 

The therapist had a very different training to mine. His notes might not be like mine! My notes are so general and anonymised, that if a malicious hacker got those notes, I'd just laugh. Ho, you hoped for some kind of sensitive details in there! Go ahead, publish. My notes are something like: 'BH one step at a time - safe6'. Dear hacker, feel free, knock yourself out. I don't use names, or record client's significant dates. As to justifying my mode of therapy, or rather 'my interventions' well that is in therapy speak, and not linked to my client's personal information. It is about me actually, why I do what I do.

This isn't the case with other therapists, I've been shocked to my core to read what has been written in client notes, on several occasions. 

OK, well I've removed the transcripts of my therapy again, because of GDPR. I don't believe anyone could work out the therapist's identity, but the transcripts certainly transmit his personality and pet themes! Meanwhile I don't think removing the transcripts is a good thing. I believe that anything that shines a light on how therapy goes wrong, should be in the public domain. A lot of small organisations are gunning for the therapy professional bodies right now because those professional bodies act as the arbiters of what constitutes good therapy. They act primarily to protect the profession, they are aware of the impact of therapy and do all they can to embed ethical considerations, to improve standards. But they don't exist to put right the effect of bad therapy on the client. 

Ours (the world of therapy) is a strange world, we have a strange culture, and I do not believe that all of it is good. My therapy harmed me, there are clues within the dialogue as to exactly how this harm came about. And I've just taken those words down because I have to protect myself.

A well qualified psychotherapist is more able than your average client to justify their words and actions, despite the evident harm. The dice are loaded against you as a client. Even if you can speak the language. 

They will of course want evidence that therapy harmed you. Those ethical bodies I mean. And you hope how the harm came about will be in your notes. The paradox is, if you as the client kept notes about your therapist you could be a data controller too! Which is perhaps how it should be. 

Anyway I certainly don't think that the professional bodies do enough to try and resolve conflict (yes, I want that job!). 

When a client is unhappy about their therapy and tentatively begins to formulate a complaint, the beginning is reading the information on the professional body's website. The recommendation is that the client should get in touch with the therapist and 'try and sort this out with the therapist first. 

I know it sounds reasonable to anyone who hasn't lived through this process, and sometimes it would be the right thing, most therapist's do their best to resolve a conflict. Most, but not all. And so trying to sort things out alone with a therapist who has no intention of apologizing isn't a good experience. And so this isn't good advice! Surely to goodness! My trying to sort this out with the therapist got me interviewed 'under caution'. I'm not alone in having had this awful experience. Interestingly we all seem to take a similar route, we write to our therapists in human, ordinary language. They ignore! We request notes - and the gloves are off, only we don't see that and we don't understand that now the letter from the solicitor, the contact by the police, the accusations of harassment, are on their way. I don't think that the professional bodies take into account how a sh*t scared therapist will fight, rather than cooperate. 

But, GDPR, the therapist could argue that the transcripts contain his personal information - his opinions - means that the transcripts are not publicly available and the recordings are long gone. Only one glaringly obvious truth now remains - Rules designed to protect vulnerable others are exploited by abusers.

As I keep pointing out, this is exactly how abusers get away with abuse.