2005

Mental health professionals know that ethics and laws sometimes conflict on issues of confidentiality, and with minors the situation becomes even more confounded. The American School Counselor Association Ethical Standards (1998) posit that “…each person has the right to privacy and thereby the right to expect the counselor-counselee relationship to comply with all laws, policies, and ethical standards pertaining to confidentiality” (Preamble). This is a tall order and may not always get accomplished with clarity and confidence. Counselors can quickly get squeezed between the pressures of statutes, rights of family members, professional ethics, and personal integrity