Examples Of Confidentiality In The Therapeutic Alliance

The therapeutic alliance is where a patient and therapist understand the goals for the therapy sessions and work together to accomplish them. Confidentiality is an important component in the therapeutic alliance where the information a patient discloses to the therapist stays between the therapist and the patient. Although confidentiality is strict secrecy, it can be broken under certain circumstances by revealing information relevant to the circumstance, nothing more. One example where confidentiality can be broken is if the client reveals an intention to hurt themselves or others. In this case, the therapist can only reveal information regarding the patient hurting themselves or others in order to prevent any harm. The therapist can warn the person(s) who are under

If the therapist is having trouble treating the patient, they can seek assistance from a colleague or superior and reveal information to better the patient. A complicated example of breaking confidentiality is if the patient is abusing vulnerable individuals such as abusing children, disabled, or elderly. This is complicated in that the extent of abuse is an important measure of whether or not to break confidentiality. Different cultures have different ways of addressing discipline and do not see it as abuse but a form of punishment. In America, this form of punishment is looked down upon, but countries in Asia or South America see this punishment as a reinforcing tactic in order to rid of bad habits (such as talking back to parents) and form good ones (such as respecting your elders). The question that arises is: when is this form of punishment to be reported? Some may report the abuse if it is on a daily basis without reason, such as delivering physical abuse if the child dropped a carton of milk or if the child watched television without