How is confidentiality treated when a child is seeing a therapist?
• Parents are typically asked to appreciate that this is the child’s own private hour with the therapist. The privacy or “confidentiality” of the therapy session is often useful to assure the child that there will be no punishment for the feelings and/or events that the child will discuss or reveal during the sessions. This often helps to minimize a child’s guilt or reluctance at self-expression. As parents, you are to be assured that the therapist will be working with you to help you assure the healthy growth and development of the child in your family, in the child’s school, with the child’s friends, etc. Parents should speak openly with the therapist concerning the child’s and family’s difficulties in order to further that goal.
