Confidentiality is the basic condition for therapy. Without confidence that what is said stays in the room, it is very hard to open up — which is why it’s important to know the rules in advance.
What the law guarantees
A psychologist’s duty of confidentiality in Israel is not a matter of custom or personal promise, but a legal obligation. It is anchored in the Psychologists Law, 5737-1977, and in the Patient’s Rights Law, 5756-1996, which states that a therapist must keep confidential any information that reaches them in the course of their work.
Alongside the law there is also the professional code of ethics of psychologists in Israel, which extends this duty and defines how to act in complex situations.
What the exceptions are
Confidentiality is not absolute. There are narrow, defined situations in which the law requires or permits disclosure of information, and these will be explained to you in the first session:
- When there is a real risk to your life or someone else’s
- When there is suspicion of harm to a minor or a vulnerable person — in which case there is a legal duty to report
- When a court explicitly orders information to be disclosed
- When you have given explicit written consent for information to be passed to a specific party
What about children and adolescents?
When the client is a child, the parents are partners in the process and receive a picture of the direction and progress — but not a word-for-word record of everything said. Adolescents in particular need a private space; otherwise the trust without which therapy doesn’t work won’t develop.
These boundaries are explained in advance to both the child and the parents, so everyone knows what to expect. Here too, concern about harm or danger is an exception that requires involving the parents.
What about records and reports?
Therapy records are kept securely. A report or professional opinion is written only at your request and with your consent, and you are entitled to know what it says. If information needs to be passed to another party — a doctor, an educational institution or an insurer — this is done only after receiving explicit written consent.
And what about online therapy
Online sessions are subject to exactly the same confidentiality rules. They take place on an encrypted platform and are not recorded. On your side, it’s important to choose a place where you can’t be overheard, and to use headphones.
Any question about confidentiality is legitimate, and you can raise it at any stage of therapy.