Chapter five of the textbook Ethics in Counseling & Psychotherapy written by Elizabeth Welfel talks about Confidentiality: Supporting the Client’s Rights to Privacy. This chapter also discusses the principles and virtues that underlie confidentiality, the distinction between the legal and ethical frameworks as well as the ethics on confidentiality among other things. The article that relates to this issue is Confidentiality with Minors: The Need for Policy to Promote and Protect and it is written by Carolyn Stone and Madelyn L. Isaacs. I will explain the reason I chose it and ways in which it relates to the chapter. I will then offer a critique of the article
Aspect of the article that was of interest to me
The reason this article is of interest to me is because it highlights how school counselors go against their work ethics to breach confidentiality and the impact this has on their subjects. Even so, one fails to understand where to draw the line especially when issues at hand cover the safety of the minor and other people. But again, they are supposed to serve the best interests of the minor in question at all costs, simply because this is how they are supposed to act within the confines of work ethics.
Discussion
The article states that minors are supposed to have full confidence on their educators and counselors. But then the counselors’ role is a bit complicated because when minors don’t trust them then they will not seek their help. The identity of students should be protected at all times lest they fear reporting activities that threaten their security in and out of school. The researchers interviewed six hundred Florida school counselors about their attitudes towards breaching confidentiality with their clients who are minors (Stone & Isaacs1990). These counselors were given about three thousand questionnaires. Nine hundred and twenty seven counselors responded. The article illustrates how the sample population was selected and their similarities.
. The article relates to the chapter because ideally, it is the ethical conduct of counselors that is put on the spot. Welfel says that clients expect the counselors or those who they confide in to keep their word of not giving out their information to other people (Welfel 2010). The minors also expect the counselors to keep their word and not say a thing. But then some counselors go on to show characteristics of giving away the information they were given in confidence by the minors.
The article reveals how counselors have to do a balancing act to know when to give information and contradict the expectations of the minors (Stone & Isaacs 1990). The happenings of Columbine High changed the perspectives of most counselors who argued that they can breach confidentiality. At least they found a good reason to do that under very special circumstances. There are those who stuck to the principles of their work ethics and said that no matter the circumstances, they were not going to breach confidentiality.
Conclusion
The article relates well with this chapter because they discuss issues pertaining to confidentiality and how this issue is approached by different people. Counselors need to keep their word and in an effort to protect their clients, in this case the minors, are clients as well and, therefore, had to be respected as such. Even when such tragedies as the Columbine High one occur, it cannot be assumed that this will be the trend because that was an isolated case.
Critique of the article
In making their judgment and conclusions, the researchers dwelled so much on the Columbine High tragedy and based their research and findings on it. in the absence of such a selective case, then it is possible that counselor- minor confidentiality may have been their sole argument. One wonders whether without this case there could have been an argument against the code of conduct in question.
Ethical principles involved in this paper
It is difficult to draw the line between what information can be given out in breach of confidentiality, especially in a school setting when minors commit serious offences. Counselors are put between a rock and a hard place because it becomes difficult to balance the rights and needs of minors and letting the law take its course
References
Stone, C. & Isaacs, M. (1990). Confidentiality with Minors: The Need for Policy to Promote and Protect. Web. Retrieved on 24th October 2014. PDF File. file:///C:/Users/admin/Documents/Downloads/confidentiality%20with%20minors%20% 81%29%20%281%29.pdf
Welfel, E. R. (2010). Ethics in Counselling & Psychotherapy, 5th Edition. Belmont: Cengage Learning
