Sometimes this is a justifiable worry. Some employers are bigoted and may discriminate against employees with known emotional problems (even though this is blatantly illegal). And some families, in which there is little psychological understanding and much fear, may withdraw from a family member who lets it be known that he or she is in emotional distress. On the other hand, most people like to feel that they have a certain degree of compassion and openness--even those who are judgmental! If you are willing to face ignorant attitudes head-on, unflinchingly (and this can take a great deal of courage), you will frequently gain the respect of others through your honesty. They will perceive your unwillingness to judge yourself negatively and may even come to admire the strength and determination you have to improve your life. If you are in emotional distress, you may have to face a dilemma: whether it is _prudent_ to try to conceal your difficulties from people because you believe that some of them may judge you harshly and critically if they find out you are in therapy, or whether it is likely that they would understand, and perhaps even sympathize, if you were able to be open and had the courage and self-confidence to help educate others on a psychological level. Unfortunately, people in real emotional distress don't have the energy, the courage, or the self-confidence to fight social battles! It therefore usually seems to be a great deal easier to try to keep your own affairs _private_. But this is not always simple to do. THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF PSYCHOTHERAPY Confidentiality as it relates to counseling and psychotherapy is not a straightforward thing; much that has to do with confidentiality is still an unsettled and still debated issue. In reality, there are as yet few laws that fully and genuinely protect personal privacy. There are two central questions relating to confidentiality that I want to raise here. The first is a question only you can answer. I will try to discuss some of the answers to the second. {259} HOW IMPORTANT IS CONFIDENTIALITY TO YOU? Only you can answer this. It may be reassuring to know that, usually, the safeguards observed by therapists are sufficient to protect the personal affairs of clients. And it is unusual for any real or lasting harm come to a client if information about him or her is released. Many individuals, when they are trapped in a prison of self-concern and self-involvement, are prone to exaggerate or magnify the ultimate significance of being "discovered" in therapy, believing that a release of information about them will be potentially explosive and damaging. Individuals who are emotionally very upset are inclined to focus on threatening aspects of therapy.