Is it safe to speak openly? Confidentiality in therapy
Author: The Narcis editorial team · updated: August 9, 2026
Clinical review: a practising psychotherapist
Openness is the main instrument of therapy, so without a sense of safety it does not work. That is why confidentiality here is not a formality but a foundation.
What this means in practice
Your therapist does not disclose information about you outside their professional work: they do not discuss you with acquaintances, do not post stories on social media, do not tell their family. Exceptions are defined by law and professional rules, and your therapist should explain their limits at the start of the work.
A therapist may discuss professional difficulties in supervision. Those discussions are also confidential, and client data must be minimised or anonymised as far as possible.
Where the limits of confidentiality lie
The limits of disclosure depend on the law, the professional’s role, and the specific situation, so no universal list exists. Most often it concerns a direct threat to life or safety, and an ethical professional will tell you about such exceptions from the outset.
What you can ask your therapist
You have the right to ask in the first session: how notes are stored, who has access to them, what about recording. As for this platform specifically: video sessions are not recorded and the AI does not listen to the conversation. With the separate agreement of both client and therapist, a short summary may be generated solely from the notes the professional writes after the session — and you can choose not to use that feature. The details are in the Narcis privacy policy.
If this topic resonated — you do not have to sit with it alone.
Find a therapist for this topic →This article is for information only and is not a substitute for an individual consultation with a specialist.