Beliefs Regarding Confidentiality Amongst Parents and Children Receiving Counseling Through A School-Based Mental Health Clinic

Abstract

Fifty-one children between the ages of 6 and 12, receiving school counseling through a school-based mental health clinic, were administered a questionnaire designed to assess their beliefs about confidentiality in the therapeutic relationship. Each child's parent was also administered a parallel version of the questionnaire. Children's beliefs were then compared to parent's beliefs regarding the issue of confidentiality in school-based counseling. The questionnaires were developed based on the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (2002) and included items from the subarea of Principle 4, Privacy and Confidentiality. A significant main effect (p < .05) for child respondent group versus parent respondent group was demonstrated with the parent group scoring significantly higher in ethical beliefs regarding confidentiality in counseling in a school-based mental health clinic. Additional statistical analyses comparing confidentiality beliefs by ethnicity (Hispanic families versus Caucasian families) and child's gender found no significant main effects (p > .05). The initial hypothesis that children did not differ from their parents in their respective beliefs concerning confidentiality in school-based counseling was rejected. The results suggested that parents demonstrated more of an understanding of confidentiality that was consistent with professional ethical guidelines than did their respective children. The results are discussed in terms of confidentiality in a therapeutic relationship and children's perception of the maintenance of such confidentiality and trust in school-based counseling. Future directions for research and the limitations of the current study are also discussed.