Читать книгу Theory and Practice of Couples and Family Counseling - James Robert Bitter - Страница 103

Trust in any therapeutic relationship is intimately tied to the guarantee of confidentiality. The ability to speak openly and with emotional honesty is supported by a trusting relationship that ensures a respect for privacy. This right to privacy in psychotherapy is recognized in all 50 states and by the federal government in HIPAA standards and Supreme Court decisions. But what degree of privacy can a family counselor or therapist truly uphold? Maintaining confidentiality can be an enormous responsibility for a practitioner working with just one person. When a counselor is working with multiple people in one room, the challenges to maintaining confidentiality increase exponentially. It is in the subtexts of confidentiality and family practice that ethical issues become extremely difficult, especially those of conceptualizing the client served, providing informed consent, and handling relational matters in an individual context.