Pros and Cons! CONFINDENTIALITY IN PSYCHOLOGY!?

Answer 1

There are no cons...if you thought your therapist was going to go tell everyone about your issues, therapy would be useless. I believe that it does not apply however if they have reason to believe their patient is going to harm themselves or someone else.

Answer 2

The pros are the security that a client feels knowing that their inner most feelings are safe. The cons are the position it puts the therapist in. Sometimes they learn of illegal behaviors or immoral behaviors that they can do nothing about. If they learn of a plan to harm others or of serious crimes after the fact they are no longer bound by confidentiality. In fact they are ethically obligated to report the crime. For example if your teenage client tells you of a plan to kill the football team you would have to report that or if you learn a client is sexually molesting his child you need to alert authorities. The bad situations come in to play when you either have too little information to do anything or the issue isn't life or death. However, therapists are allowed to discuss patients as long they keep them from being identified. It would be impossible to expect someone to carry everyone else's issues without a release.

Answer 3

If there were no confidentiality in psychology people would not feel safe disclosing some of the most intimate details of their life.

The con would be that if questioned, a counselor cannot disclose something unless it is against the law or someones life is in danger. So, if it is something that affects some others adversly, they cannot really tell unless it is illegal or endangers them. Example; if a husband discloses he's having an affair with someone, the counselor cannot disclose that to the wife. I would hate to be the counselor in a position like that. I think I'd tell him he must either stop the affair or disclose it to his wife.