Confidentiality of records

i am seeing a therapist in the state of MD.
this therapist asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement
which reads as follows:
the confidentiality of patient records maintained by this counseling service and it's programs are protected by federal law and regulations.generally, the program may not say to a person outside the programs, or disclose any information identifing a patient unless:
(at this point i understand listed items except the fourth one listed...
1. the patient consents in writing.
(items 2 & 3 are clear to me)
4. the disclosure is made to medical personnel in a medical emergency or to qualified personnel for research, audit, or program evaluation.
the medical emergency part is clear to me,however the qualified personnel for research etc. concerns me. I really do not care to be apart of someones research or have the intimate details of my life(in the form of this therapists notes or verbally) made available to anyone. i was told that signing this form is for my protection, otherwise anyone who chose to do so could look at my records. is this true? how can i best protect my right to confidentiality?