Patients going through stressful life changes, traumatic experiences or the emotional roller coaster ride of symptoms of mental illnesses may be especially unwilling to share their most private feelings with a stranger unless they know that their secrets are safe. That’s why confidentiality is so important to making counseling effective. A patient who doesn’t trust the counselor is unlikely to be honest about their feelings and problems, so he or she may never receive the necessary help to cope with these issues. Such a patient may be worried try any coping strategies or treatments that are recommended. Ultimately, without trust, there is little point to attempting
