Confidentiality is a central element of psychotherapy.

Section 15 of the Psychotherapy ActPsychotherapists and their assistants are obligated to maintain confidentiality regarding all secrets entrusted to them or learned by them in the course of their professional duties. This duty of confidentiality is general and therefore, in principle, unrestricted towards any person or institution outside of the client/patient, such as spouses, other family members, government agencies, or other social service organizations.

The duty of confidentiality for psychotherapists is therefore much stricter than, for example, that of doctors.

If clients/patients explicitly request that data be shared with, for example, insurance companies, an effective release from the duty of confidentiality is essential.