Survey of Sexual Assaults Survivors

9. IMPACT OF RECORD DISCLOSURE ON THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP

It is important to emphasise that the possibility of record disclosure can impact on the women’s decision to seek counselling and on the nature of the counselling relationship.  As one respondent put it: “(the counsellor’s office) is no longer a safe, confidential space”.  As a result, some of the women who reported their abuse to the police decided to postpone or to discontinue their counselling sessions until after the criminal proceedings.

Women who stayed in counselling attributed their decision to the fact that their counsellor did not record any personal information, or their belief that she would not disclose any information that she did record to a third party.  theless, a woman recalled that she remained cautious about what she discussed during the sessions for some time, delaying the establishment of a trusting relationship with her counsellor.

As another woman pointed out, concerns over possible record disclosure can also limit the range of resources available to survivors who are unwilling to use programs and services that record personal information.