Posted by Racer on October 12, 2004, at 19:49:36
In reply to my records, posted by lonelygal on October 11, 2004, at 19:52:39
I've seen my records from the agency that was treating me over the past year. I don't recommend it, though. My situation is a bit unusual, since I got the copy of my chart in order to send it on to an attorney. I didn't get it in order to satisfy my own curiousity.
Here are the first questions I'd suggest asking yourself:
1. Why do you want to see your records? Be as honest with yourself as possible, and make sure you're not trying to stay closer to your old T, or satisfying some need to confirm that you're unacceptable. There are some good reasons to see your records -- to check whether there's another actionable in your treatment, to clarify something you've never understood, etc. But there are also some very bad reasons for seeing them, too, and curiousity alone is probably not sufficient, in case the information contained in the record is upsetting.
2. How can my request be satisfied? The law says a few things about mental health records, including that the clinician can opt to release a summary of the record to the patient, rather than the entire record. It also says that another clinician can request the record, on the patient's behalf, even if the patient's direct request was denied -- but the requesting clinician must not allow the patient direct access to the record if it was denied. Would you be satisfied if your new therapist got a copy of the record and read it for you? Would a summary of your record from your old therapist satisfy you?
3. Why is this so important to you? Is it because you're afraid that it must contain something so dreadful about yourself that it would be dangerous for you to know it? Or is it because you distrust your old therapist? Are you beginning to obsess about this?
4. Why are you so uncomfortable discussing this with your new therapist? This is, as fallsfall said, a really good therapeutic opportunity, a place where you can explore a problem together, and see if that helps to build a bond between you. What's more, you might need a little help working out the answers to some of those other questions.
I guess I'm hoping you'll ask those questions, before -- or instead -- of getting worked up over the denial of your request to see your records. There's unlikely to be much in them that would help you, and there's very likely information that would be distinctly UNhelpful. That doesn't mean you're a terrible person, it just means that therapy records aren't intended to make the client feel better -- they're intended for other purposes, like protecting the therapist, documenting progress, etc.
I hope this gives you something to think about. And do take fallsfall's other advice, too, and ask your new therapist about telephone policies. Surely she's aware that sometimes something seems much more problematic at night than it does in the cold light of day.
poster:Racer
thread:401840
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20041002/msgs/402355.html