Confidentiality In Counseling

Clients have the right to confidentiality and privacy when coming into counseling. According to Knapp, Tepper, and Baturin (2015), “privacy is the general right of an individual to control the disclosure of personal information and to be protected against unwarranted external intrusions” (p. 19). Furthermore, confidentiality is “an ethical principle in which the treating professional is prohibited from disclosing information about a patient to a third party without the patient’s consent.” However, “the professional may be mandated or compelled to release private information without the patient’s consent or permission” (Knapp, Tepper, and Baturin, 2015). The clients have the right to control any personal information that can affect them. The

Thus, the therapist reporting this incident to social services can cause unwarranted external intrusion. For example, as the client, Mr. Ben stated, he thinks releasing this information to a third party will scrutinize them in their community. Furthermore, the clients have the right to confidentiality so that the therapist does not disclose the information presented in therapy to the social service department in the client’s community. As Knapp, Tepper, and Baturin mentioned, “psychologists must obtain a signed release of information before disclosing confidential information about a patient” (pg. 22). However, the clients agreed and signed a consent form that indicated that the therapist obligation to report any incident they deemed inappropriate. The clients were aware that their confidentiality might be legally breached because of the incident between their son and

39). Hence, despite the clients’ right to privacy and confidentiality, when there is suspected child abuse, privacy and confidentiality must be breached. Child Protective Service Laws indicate child abuse in Pennsylvania defined as, “creating a likelihood of sexual abuse or exploitation” (23 Pa. C.S.A. 6303 (b.1); Knapp, Tepper, and Baturin, 2015, pg. 39). According to Knapp, Tepper, Baturin (2015), Child Protective Service Laws refers to sexual abuse as, “use of coercion, inducement, or persuasion that results in looking at the intimate parts of a child for purpose of sexual gratification and engaging in sexually explicit conversation with a child” (p. 40). Furthermore, sexual abuse also includes “sexual assault, such as fondling, sexual exploitation, and aggravated indecent assault, which means engaging in penetration of the genitals with any part of the body with a complainant who is less than 13 years of age” (p.