State-funded counselling v private counselling: confidentiality?

LegacyUser

I'm currently looking for a counsellor. The prices I'm being quoted are, for me, exorbitant: €80 for a single hour.

I'm going to need many hours. I'm currently earning €300 per week, and I'm not sure for how long more this will last.

I am therefore trying to recollect something that my GP said to me, but I find it hard to believe it's true. He asked me where would I like to go to see a counsellor. I told him and then asked him will it be confidential or do they have to put it on my medical record. He said if I go private it doesn't have to go on, but if I go through the medical card it will have to go on. This shocked me, so I told him to hold off making an appointment with the counselling service for me (apparently in the public system I would have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist first who would then write a reference to a psychologist). A couple of years later and I'm still trying to get finances together that can get me counselling for the first time in my life. I need it more than ever. I'm lost for words if it really is true that my privacy is protected if I pay for the service, but it's not if the state pays. Is that really true?

Is there any way I can get counselling through the state system that will not be recorded on my medical record?

Magicmatilda

I find it hard to believe that your counselling would be on your medical records. perhaps the psychiatrists visit would be on there. As far as I know though your medical records are private and cannot be accessed by anyone under the data protection act.

Anyway aside from all that many counsellors offer reduced cost counselling if you advise them that you have a low income. Also there are many centres out there that provide low cost and indeed free counselling. So it might be worth looking into that

sitstill

Definitely ask the counseller about lower prices.

My sister and I both attended the same one last year. I paid 80 euro per session and because my sister is on benefits she was only charged 15 euro. It might be the same for you.

sam34

clarificationneeded wrote: »

I'm currently looking for a counsellor. The prices I'm being quoted are, for me, exorbitant: €80 for a single hour.

I'm going to need many hours. I'm currently earning €300 per week, and I'm not sure for how long more this will last.

I am therefore trying to recollect something that my GP said to me, but I find it hard to believe it's true. He asked me where would I like to go to see a counsellor. I told him and then asked him will it be confidential or do they have to put it on my medical record. He said if I go private it doesn't have to go on, but if I go through the medical card it will have to go on. This shocked me, so I told him to hold off making an appointment with the counselling service for me (apparently in the public system I would have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist first who would then write a reference to a psychologist). A couple of years later and I'm still trying to get finances together that can get me counselling for the first time in my life. I need it more than ever. I'm lost for words if it really is true that my privacy is protected if I pay for the service, but it's not if the state pays. Is that really true?

Is there any way I can get counselling through the state system that will not be recorded on my medical record?

i presume what he means is that if you go and see a counsellor privately, without getting it organised through your GP, then its not on your medical file which is held at his office. (what i mean is if you get a counsellor through the golden pages etc - not always a good idea but thats another story)

so if an insurance company looked for your records/a summary of your records they wouldnt know about it.

but if you were to get it on the medical card you would most likely have to be referred through the local psychiatric service to access it and that would certainly be on your file held at the GPs surgery.

it wouldnt be the same service or person providing it both privately and publicly

Queen-Mise

Look around more at the counselling services - especially centres that have many different alternative 'type' things. For example Teach Bride in Tullow have many courses including Gestalt - but they also have psychotherapy/counselling available on a sliding scale depending on what you are earning. There is another centre like this outside Baltinglass - again on a sliding scale.

Trainee psychotherapists need 'x' amount of hours to gain their license so see can you find one of them and you might get your therapy for 25 euro (??)

Most therapist 'should' have a limited sliding scale for people who are unemployed - keeping ringing and asking.


I Would imagine that if the doctors has records that you have attended counselling, none of the details of the counselling would be on the records. Only the fact you went. To hold details would break every confidentiality clause involved in the trade. The same would be for psychiatry - the details of what you said with a psychiatrist would be private - but they would send a report on how you are, as in, what your prognosis is.

Victor

Queen-Mise wrote: »

I Would imagine that if the doctors has records that you have attended counselling, none of the details of the counselling would be on the records.

Agreed. Most counsellors only retain at most an attendance record. A psychiatrist may retain some records, e.g. "Has difficulty with sleeping, prescribed XYZ".

The only issue not covered by condifentiality is child abuse, which must be reported to the Garda and HSE, but won't be shared with anyone else.

Maple

Perplexed4, you have already been warned on both this forum and another about your conspiracy theories in relation to counselling services provided by the HSE.

As the OP has not returned to this thread in nearly a week, I am locking it. It is not to be used as a platform for your scaremongering.

Maple