Counselling and Digital Privacy

It is universally accepted that counselling is confidential -- unless there are compelling reasons to share it. But in a recent paper, Digital Privacy in Mental Healthcare, Lustgarten et al ask just how confidential counselling is in a digital age. They conclude: "We implore you to ask, how might this technology affect your clients’ privacy?" Well, that says it all. OBSERVATION: Privacy, of course, is about deeper issues still. There are reasons why it is important. In my own ordinary communications, the content of my digital messages has been picked off, and -- I suspect -- the content of my conversations where virtual assistants were near. Suppose, as one example, that a new mother messages the counsellor, "I'm worried sick about my baby's health." The same day, a message pops up on her screen, "Baby care for worried mothers."