TeenHelp - Can The School Conselor Tell My Parents About Social Anxiety

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Can The School Conselor Tell My Parents About Social Anxiety

So Yesterday I was concered about Social Anxiety and I thought I had It so I went and reasearched that following day about Social Anxiety and Noticed I had some symptoms of Social Anxiety. So the day after, I put A conselor request in my school,and i talked with her about Social Anxiety tellig her i am expierincing symptoms of social anxiety, and talked with her bout it she gave me a packet all about it and a test. Im happy because I now kn0w what is going on with me Now I know I have social anxiety . Question is, Can the conselor tell my parents that I have Social Anxiety, Shes the only one who knows What i'm feeling and That I have social anxiety. I havent told any of my doctors. Did the conselor also just diagnose me with social anxiety?

Re: Can The School Conselor Tell My Parents About Social Anxiety

I don't think a counselor is supposed to diagnose you with anything. They can only reflect on the observations they've made and the points you've brought up, but they can't outright make a diagnosis. I would reach out to your parents if you feel comfortable doing so, and it's important not to diagnose yourself either.

Re: Can The School Conselor Tell My Parents About Social Anxiety

Hi there,

I've had my fair share of counsellors so I've been through this before. They are only allowed to tell your parents if you're at risk of hurting yourself or someone else.

Re: Can The School Conselor Tell My Parents About Social Anxiety

As it's been said, the counsellor is unlikely to tell your parents about the anxiety you experience, or anything that you talk about in counselling sessions. There are times when the counsellor may have to break confidentiality but this is usually only if there is a serious risk of you harming yourself or others.

It's great that you realised that you felt anxious and decided to do a bit of research and get help. Though it's also important to remember to avoid self-diagnosing since we can often get it wrong, and it's best left to the professionals. Counsellors don't often diagnose, as it's been said, but they can give you questionnaires and tests (like yours did) to see what symptoms you are struggling with and how they can help you deal with these things. They might be able to say that it's likely you have social anxiety, but might not be able to give an official diagnosis. For an official diagnosis, you could talk to your counsellor and see if she can refer you or go to your doctor and ask to be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist who can diagnose you. But you don't necessarily need a diagnose to get treatment, though it's worth thinking about if it interests you.