There is relief and a solution attached to opening up most times. The thing is, if you don't talk, how can one possibly know what is wrong with you?
It is when a problem is known that the solution can be found. This principle is used in many fields to get information from clients in order to serve them better.
The problem with it is that sometimes, these professionals, after ascertaining confidential information from clients, later go about discussing them with people, sometimes as references and other times out of carelessness.
No matter the kind of help someone who doesn't know how to conceal a matter gives to you, whether medically, spiritually, or psychologically, it hurts when you hear the problems you discussed in private circulating outside.
I know we are humans and sometimes there are high tendencies of breaking laws, yet we must learn how to respect people's secrets at all costs.
I don't care what the information might do for another person; what happens in private should always remain in private.
People trusted you and believed in the oath you took; that is why they are free to discuss things they don't wish to share with anyone. As a professional, it is expected that you protect every single piece of information they reveal to you.
I can never forget a time when I told one of the most respected uncles in our fellowship about one of the biggest challenges I was facing in life.
I was very happy to tell him what I had been through and the things I was struggling with at the moment. After sharing that information with him, I felt relieved; the guilt haunting me for a long time disappeared.
One of those days, I was interacting with one of my close friends who also goes to that uncle for counseling, and she began asking me strange questions. When I got fed up, I asked her how she knew about all those things, and she was honest enough to reveal that it was that Uncle who told her about it.
I first felt a sharp pain in my chest. I was really hurt because I didn't want anyone to know about it, but it had happened.
I was angry with the uncle at one point, but I had to let go after putting myself in his shoes. Dealing with people is not easy; sometimes, you can't help but say things you ought not to.
There are times you would make the mistake of opening up what you are not supposed to, just to solve another problem. It's life; we learn every day.
But don't get me wrong, there are circumstances that require using someone else's information to tackle; that's quite understandable, and as a professional, you should know what to do.
It's either you seek the client's permission or never conceal anything that can suggest their identity while using their information. That way you would protect your client’s secret and also save the person that needs it.
If we remove the privilege of sharing crucial and personal information from doctors, pastors, counselors and so on, how can they know how to tackle our problems?
These people are humans, with zero superpowers; their biggest advantage is what we reveal to them. The information, combined with proper check-ups and more research, gives them more advantage to help us better.
So, in my opinion, taking that privilege away would do no one good; rather, those professionals should be properly coached to respect boundaries and to protect the information that is derived from people as though it is their own personal privacy.
N.b: All Images Were Generated By Gemini AI
