Email Privacy

Privacy is an important issue when obtaining therapy. If you cannot trust that your communications are confidential you cannot truly open up and do the work necessary to change your life. What can you do to help keep your email private? My Online Therapy takes every step to insure that your privacy and confidentiality are protected on our side of the therapeutic relationship. We like to make the following suggestions for our clients in order to protect the privacy of email communications from your end:

  • Do not access therapy emails or chats at work. You can almost count on such emails being monitored. Ideally, online therapy should occur on a private computer that is not shared with other users.
  • Protect the access to your computer. The greatest vulnerability is allowing others to access your computer, and therefore, your email.
  • If you must use a shared computer, always close the browser when you have finished your session and do not allow the operating system to save any of your passwords.
  • Do not share your computer or email passwords with others.
  • Double check all communications between and your therapist to be sure they are properly addressed. Confidentiality breaches often occur when clients or therapists click the wrong name in their address book.

Perhaps the least likely threat to your privacy is interception of an email during transit over your private internet access account. Just as it is possible to "tap" a telephone line or "bug" a therapist's office, it is possible to intercept email messages. Possible, but not very likely. If the possibility of email interception feels too risky to you, you can use an encrypted email exchange.

SAFe-mail is a web based encrypted email service. You can sign up for a free account that is, strangely enough, free. Using safe-mail is a little slower than simply sending unencrypted emails, and there is limited storage space at safe-mail (although you can purchase additional space). If you want heightened security, however, this option seems like an excellent choice.
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