7.2 Privacy
While confidentiality is an action-oriented concept, privacy is the underlying value-oriented concept that guides a counselor’s holistic way of being and engaging with each client. It sends a message of respect and autonomy to the people served. Additionally, clients have a right to privacy. They must be able to trust that information shared with their counselor or within a therapy group is utilized for their benefit and in alignment with treatment goals. Humans have an easier time sharing openly when engaged in safe relationships, and counselors create a space conducive to vulnerability. Counselors who adhere to privacy standards demonstrate alignment with counseling virtues, including autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and fidelity. Valuing client privacy directly fosters a sense of autonomy, or their right to self-determination (ACA, 2014). It also promotes client well-being and minimizes harm by putting them in the driver’s seat of their decision-making processes (ACA, 2014). Privacy and fidelity go hand in hand when working together to build trust and honor the responsibility of the professional relationship (ACA, 2014). Privacy is mentioned in the ACA and NAADAC codes of ethics, as presented below” (ACA, 2014; NAADAC, 2021)”
“Counselors respect the privacy of prospective and current clients. Counselors request private information from clients only when it benefits the counseling process” (ACA, 2014, Standard B.1.b.)
“Addiction professionals and the organizations they work for shall ensure that the confidentiality and privacy of clients are protected by providers, employees, supervisees, students, office personnel, other staff, and volunteers” (NAADAC, 2021, Standard II-6).
In this chapter, we discuss measures counselors take to protect client information. These include adequate informed consent with the client, meeting in a secure space for counseling (in the clinic, or considering privacy measures for telehealth), a secure documentation process as discussed in section 7.7, knowledge of privilege and use of client information in legal proceedings as discussed in section 7.11, among others. Counselors thoughtfully consider how they handle a range of privacy-related concerns and share the importance of privacy during informed consent and how they will handle seeing clients outside of counseling to respect privacy. For example, suppose a counselor sees a client at a grocery store. In that case, they must protect client confidentiality by not acknowledging them, and they will briefly respond to a greeting but not initiate one (Younggren, 2008). When encountering such concerns, they engage in necessary repair to the therapeutic relationship.
Key Takeaways
- Privacy is a value-oriented concept that underscores respect and autonomy, guiding a counselor’s approach to engaging with clients.
- Clients’ right to privacy promotes trust, self-determination, and openness in the therapeutic relationship, aligning with core counseling virtues.
- Privacy and confidentiality are reinforced in ethical codes, requiring counselors to request private information only when it benefits the counseling process.
- Counselors implement measures such as informed consent, secure spaces, and thoughtful handling of encounters outside sessions to protect privacy.
- Maintaining privacy fosters client trust and supports the counselor’s ethical responsibility to uphold autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and fidelity.