Confidentiality

Clinicians have a professional obligation to respect and protect the information learned within their working relationships with clients. Confidentiality is the term used to refer to that covenanted communication between a client and a counselor. By definition, confidentiality means spoken or written in confidence. Clinicians are entrusted with intimate details and secrets about the personal and professional lives of the clients they serve and must keep that information confidential. Although confidentiality is an essential component of any therapeutic relationship, confidentiality is not as easy to maintain as some may think. Confidentiality can be a complex, multifaceted practice. For example, confidentiality with adults is practiced differently than confidentiality with children. Undoubtedly, it is easier to ensure confidentiality in individual sessions than in group settings. As a ...