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Original poster

Can I ask you a question if you gave had CBT

34 replies

Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 13:40

I'm 10 weeks in to a14 week stint of counselling CBT....every week she remembers really well what I've said...then last time she left her laptop open..I could see she had made notes after every session,a lot of notes writing down everything I've said ...now I'm thinking ,firstly she absolutely didn't tell she was going to do this.and secondly what is she going to do with it...I was told the sessions were confidential,how can they be with every session written up on her laptop...has anyone else had the same?

OP posts:
Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 13:41

Stupid mistake ....have ,not gave

OP posts:
Flower777 · 16/12/2018 13:49

It’s very normal for counsellors to make notes. It’s just to help them more deeply understand what you are experiencing.

I would ask her about it and what she is going to do with them.

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 13:50

That's what I thought .but why not tell me that?

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IncyWincyGrownUp · 16/12/2018 14:43

To be fair, you’d be expected to realise notes would be taken. Your appointment is 1 hour out of a working week, a counsellor would have to be superhuman to remember all that detail without notes.

There will be data protection policies in place, so her notes will be confidential.

I hope the CBT is working for you. My eldest has just started a course and we’ve got fingers crossed it offers some strategies for her.

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 14:54

No it's not working for me at all.she has an agender each week ,she seems determined to fit me in a box ,she constantly tells me I'm just depressed,when I've told her I don't think I am...a lot of my family have autism.and I tried to express I thought I had too ,but she dismissed it out of hand..

OP posts:
IncyWincyGrownUp · 16/12/2018 14:55

Ah that’s pants. Therapy should be agenda driven like that.

Is it through your GP? If so can you maybe mention the ASD thing to them?

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 14:57

It at no point till recently,occurred to me notes would be taken..I was told it would be confidential.but not that she would take notes.perhaps I should of realised ,but as I wasn't told ,it didn't occur to me till I saw them..now I don't feel I can talk to her at all.

OP posts:
Concernedaboutgran · 16/12/2018 14:59

It's very normal for notes to be taken at therapy Sessions. It sounds like the treatment may be moving at a pace that you're not comfortable with.

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:00

My child sees an autism support worker who has given me details of where to go for a diagnosis,she said she disagrees with the counsellor and that I could well be autistic in which case ,it would explain why CBT isn't working ,because you have specialised CBT if you have ASD

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Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:01

I'm just keep claming up in the sessions and I wanted to stop them weeks ago,but I keep going in case they get better

OP posts:
SexNotJenga · 16/12/2018 15:04

It is completely normal - indeed, good practice - to make notes. She might have a caseload of 30 clients at any one time - no one can possibly remember it all.

She should have talked about confidentiality on your first session - explained what she can and cannot keep secret, and how information you is stored. You can ask her about this next time you see her. Usually the purpose of keeping notes is to make sure that the therapy is of a decent quality - that matters raised last time can be addressed again this time. It's really important for monitoring risk as well. I would expect that her laptop is password protected to prevent unauthorised access. But again, it's fine to ask her about this.

Having an agenda is a key part of CBT - it is a very structured therapy. You should have input into the agenda though, so tell her if there is something you want to discuss.

CBT therapists don't necessarily receive training on autism. If you want to be assessed for autistic traits then make an appointment with your GP. The National Autistic Society has some good above on how to do this on its website.

Is it NHS or private?

Concernedaboutgran · 16/12/2018 15:05

Unfortunately CBT does require a certain amount of work and input from you and if you are clamming up in the sessions and not talking then that particular therapist might not be able to help you. If you do have ASD then it's quite possible that the style of therapy won't suit you. Having said that trusting your therapist is imperative so if you don't trust her then it would be worth trying to find an alternative therapist for the remaining sessions. I have had effective CBT but for it to help, it relied on me basically digging right down into my past and laying everything out there for her to help me to work out. I had to build a relationship with her first until we could really get to the core of the issues, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to cope.

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:07

It's NHS..I waited 18 months for it...I feel sick at the thought of those notes and what she will do with them...I absolutely don't want my doctor getting hold of them...I feel my trust has been broken.

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SexNotJenga · 16/12/2018 15:10

What are you worried she might do?

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:13

Send them my doctor...but it's the thought of it all just being written down ......I just don't understand why she didn't tell me she was writing down what I said...I would never of agreed to the CBT if I knew she was writing down what I said.

OP posts:
Kelliem · 16/12/2018 15:15

I work for NHS therapy service, it’s really normal for therapists to take notes, these aren’t shared with anyone at all (only within the organisation where your therapist works, this is to ensure the therapy you receive is correct/good quality, these wouldn’t be routinely shared with your GP) even if sharing was a consideration and could be seen as being beneficial for you then you would be asked for your consent. Hope this puts your mind at rest a little.

Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:15

I know I'm being rediculous..but this is what I do ,I obsess over stuff ,and worry myself sick over stupid things..yet I still can't stop.

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Original poster
Veganforlife · 16/12/2018 15:16

Thankyou for your help everyone x

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ItsalmostSummer · 16/12/2018 15:20

OP, it sounds all very OTT. I have worked for a therapist and trust me no one looks at the notes. The files are well protected by staff. Let it go. Get another counsellor if you’re that worried.

Ethel80 · 16/12/2018 15:22

As others have said, there should have been a conversation about confidentiality at your assessment or first appointment. Often you sign a form about confidentiality too. Some therapists write a few notes in sessions, some only do it afterwards.

Your notes won't leave the service without permission but might be used in supervision between your therapist and their manager which is completely normal.

The exception is if you or someone else is at risk of harm. Again that should all have been explained to you. Talk to your therapist at the next appointment.

SexNotJenga · 16/12/2018 15:24

The notes are taken to help make the therapy better quality. NHS services take your confidentiality very seriously and information about you will not be shared without your consent, except in the (hopefully) unlikely case of extreme Safeguarding need, and even then it would be the bare minimum required.
Talk to your therapist about your concerns, she may be able to put your mind at ease a little.

Confidentiality is very important, not a stupid thing at all.

Ethel80 · 16/12/2018 15:24

@ItsalmostSummer As you have worked for a therapist I would have hoped for a little more empathy from you.

It's very hard not to overthink and catastrophise when you are anxious. Surely that's why they're in therapy in the first place!

Waddsup12 · 16/12/2018 15:31

I had excellent CBT but even he didn't pick up on my ADHD, which was probably the root cause of my difficulties.

CBT doesn't always help neurodiverse people apparently. I'd find an online/RL support group and go along/post and see if that's helpful.

GinandGingerBeer · 16/12/2018 15:32

Has she taught you any techniques you can draw on now to help you wrt worrying? I was taught lots of useful techniques to stop me ruminating and worrying and it does work.

MattBerrysHair · 16/12/2018 15:47

Op, I have ASD, diagnosed in April by the NHS and 4 years ago privately. As pp's have said, note taking is the norm for any sort of therapy and you probably weren't specifically told as it would have been assumed that you already knew. In no way will the notes be shared without your consent. I've had lots of therapy, CBT, psychotherapy, DBT. None of the HCPs I saw took any notice when I said I thought I was autistic. Only the autism specialists showed any empathy and listened. Training about women with autism isn't widespread in the MH sector at all so we slip through the cracks very easily. Don't be dismayed about these people not understanding because the ones whose job it is to diagnose autism are much better.

The best therapy by far has been the DBT. I'm just finishing an 18 month course and my anxiety is much more manageable and my quality of life is so much better. As DBT is quite intensive and funding difficult to get you usually have to have tried lots of other types of therapy first.

I urge you to tell your CBT practioner your concerns about her note taking so you can get a clearer understanding of why she does it. Afterall, she is there to help with your anxiety and thus is making you anxious.

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