At (or before!) your first appointment, your counselor should explain to you that everything you say will be kept confidential. This means that they won’t go sharing your business with other people without your permission. No, we can’t go home and tell our families what you tell us in session. We usually can’t even tell YOUR family what you tell us in session. There are a few professional exceptions though, and these are the only occasions when it is appropriate for a counselor to share what you’ve shared with somebody else.