Confidentiality
It is important to have trust and confidence in your counselor
A crucial aspect of the counselor/client relationship is the client’s ability to trust the counselor. To that end, it is important for the client to know that it is both unethical and unlawful for a licensed mental health clinician to disclose any information to a third party without the expressed, written consent of the client. This includes family members, spouses, partners, employers, religious representatives and children of the client. That the client is even a client is information that will not be confirmed by the counselor to a third party unless the client gives permission to do so.
If you’ve lived here long enough, you’ve probably experienced the “Small Lake City” phenomenon that is Utah. If I should run into a client out in the world, it is my policy to not acknowledge the client beyond a friendly nod, especially if the client is with another person. This is to protect your privacy and to prevent you from having to explain “who was that?” to your companion. If the client would like to initiate appropriate contact under these circumstances, that is, certainly, acceptable.