To Disclose Or Uphold My Professional Duty

In the beginning, it sounded perfect. So perfect, in fact, that I didn't believe it existed. I would be working with a population that I had always wanted to, I felt like my education and my life experiences had uniquely qualified me for.

I had been so excited that I decided to leave the life I had loved -- living on my boat, running along the beach every day, and feeling like I had finally mastered the art of slowing down. I told myself it would be perfect. I had written off the strange behavior of the founder of the facility.

Maybe he was just very excited too, I told myself. I accepted the position and found myself listening to the clients' stories-dreams lost, passions left behind, and the lifelong struggle to find themselves within the weight they'd gained. I looked forward to facing challenges with them, combatting demons that had plagued them and celebrating the small victories embedded in their experience.

Yet each day the founder wanted to know more. He asked me what the clients were sharing with me. I told him that confidentiality applied and I was not at liberty to disclose what had been shared with me. The words fell on deaf ears and the pressure became more intense every day. He began to hint that my job may depend on my disclosure.It was the question between doing the work I love, and protecting my license and in turn, my future. One answer hinged upon the other, and in the end, rationality had to win out.

This time, I could not follow my heart.

— Claire Nana, MA