The flexible nature of online therapy services enables people to reach help for their mental health from their homes' comforts and safety. Telehealth clinics promote affordable online counseling sessions that can be accessed anytime from anywhere. Over the last couple of years, online counseling therapy sessions have been on the constant rise, especially in the face of the ongoing pandemic, COVID-19. The online platforms have also provided mental health counselors and psychologists with adequate technical facilities to effectively communicate with their clients.
Since the entire counseling process has gotten online, it leaves us with the crucial question of how counselors ensure privacy and confidentiality. While people seek online counseling to find help for their life problems, they are already in a vulnerable spot in their life. They even might experience embarrassment for sharing their weaker sides of emotions to a stranger online. That said, making the patients feel safe includes confidentiality requirements. The patients should know that they are safe and that their secrets and personal information will remain strictly confidential as they seek help from professional counselors.
The Importance of Confidentiality
People who seek online counseling sessions are usually going through stressful life changes, leading to chronic depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Often, it takes profound courage for those individuals to reach out for help. That said, they need to ensure that their secrets are safe with the professional counselor. Confidentiality is the first step towards making the session a success. Suppose a patient not trusting his/her counselor, would they be willing to open up about their issues? The answer, for sure, is in the negative. This kind of uncertainty will never allow the patient to receive the help they deserve. Simply put, the relationship between a patient and their therapist needs to focus on trust. This is why confidentiality plays the most significant role in online counseling sessions.
Consent of Patient
As with any patient-therapist interaction, informed consent from the patient is received before starting online counseling sessions. The adaptation of digital technologies within the health sectors has led to additional issues, such as providing assessment and treatment (inclusive of risks and strengths) before conducting sessions. The information depends on clients and their familiarity with digital technology. With online therapies, it is essential to consider certain risks that include but are not limited to the dangers of miscommunication and incomplete assessment. While treating vulnerable groups (children & older citizens), online therapists should also consider whether their caregivers should be present or not. Mostly, online counselors follow the rules of patient consent, which is also a gateway to patient safety and confidentiality.
Technology Security
Since telehealth is all about technology now, the e-counseling healthcare providers ensure complete privacy and security. That said, they scrutinize their platforms regarding end-to-end encryption. E-counseling healthcare providers are aware that a data breach can have serious consequences. The world is no stranger to technology security issues. The world has become digital and more educated about the safety and security of typical applications. They are aware that frauds, malware, and hackers exist who can damage their online safety. Usually, the best e-counselors ensure that they are all vamped up with the best software, following their local state laws. E-counselors and telehealth providers are aware of the evaluation of online security and safety. Therefore, they consider the risks of storing electronic information in the wrong place. Telehealth providers ensure that all data gets stored in a safe location accessible only to clinicians and counselors involved with the patient's care.
The Importance of Privacy
With the rise of telehealth, privacy concerns have also been on the constant rise as there is an increased risk of security and data breaches. The patient's medical and other personal information is available on multiple devices, which is also why many individuals fear seeking assistance via telehealth. Therefore, the best telehealth providers have taken precautionary steps to keep the patient's information and history safe as they would have done in face-to-face therapy sessions. They also consider the patient's immediate environment before initiating the online counseling session via video calls/ chats or calls in general. That said, individuals seeking assistance are always encouraged to relax and find themselves in a more isolated private space before seeking online consultation.
Conditions for breaking Confidentiality
Despite the strict code of confidentiality, there are still exceptions that can force counselors to break their privacy. For instance, if they see that a patient is revealing his/her plans of self-harm or harming someone else. Then, it is the innate duty of a counselor to alert the medical team and the law force to prevent unpleasant incidents. That said, online counselors and healthcare providers in general, have a complex set of responsibilities towards their patients. While respecting their patient's privacy, they must also ensure the patient's safety and others that might get affected by the patient's actions.
