Hello. I'm new to this forum.  I see that there is currently a discussion
about confidentiality and the presentation of clinical material.  How have
you proceeded until this point--by discussing only known, published material?
 There is certainly plenty of published material to discuss for a lifetime,
so what's the issue here?  Although some have indicated that if unpublished
case material was kept general so as to apply, potentially, to many people in
treatment, this would not necessarily be a problem.  However, I think it
would be a problem, when one considers the easy access that people have to
the internet and to this forum.  After all, one needs no proof here of
actually being a professional psychotherapist or analyst.  There is a
difference, then, between discrete sharing of clinical vignettes with known
colleagues, and exchanging private material with people from around the world
whom we've never met.  I think I'd feel differently if this forum required
proof of professional identity, and if it could not be accessed without such
proof, and/or if the forum broke into smaller groups of, say 4-5 people.  But
that's obviously not the case.  With that in mind, we can all learn, share,
and grow by simply discussing published material, without worrying about
what's confidential and what's not.  And for those who feel comfortable
sharing vignettes from their own clinical experiences in this forum, it's
their responsibility to make such choices, to conceal "unique" details, and
to bear the responsibility for their choices.  I'm not sure if we can expect
anything more or less, given the public sphere in which this forum takes
place.

David