Ethical Information

Ethical Obligations about Confidentiality

A. Ethical Distinctions Between “Absolute Confidentiality” and “Conditional Confidentiality”

Confidentiality Ethics – Yesterday and Today

B. Ethical Obligations About Confidentiality & Disclosure

Selected Ethical Standards: Counselors (from ACA Code of Ethics)
Selected Ethical Standards: Psychologists (from APA Code of Ethics)
Selected Ethical Standards:: Social Workers (from NASW Code of Ethics)

C. CONFIDENTIALITY – USING AN ETHICAL PRACTICE MODEL

Ethical Practice Model (html)
Ethical Practice Model + State Law +HIPAA (pdf)

D. Confidentiality in Virginia Legal Protections and Legal Limits

Virginia Statutes Protecting or Limiting Patient Confidentiality (with links to Code of Virginia for text of each statute or court case)

E. CONFIDENTIALITY: “NON-SUBPOENA CONTRACTS” WITH CLIENTS

Clients in Multi-Client Therapy – “Non-Subpoena Promise” ( Fisher )
Couple or Marital Therapy – “Non-Subpoena Promise” ( Hembree )
Client in Individual Therapy (+ Non-Participating Spouse) – “Non-Subpoena Promise” ( DeMaio )

F. CONFIDENTIALITY CONTRACTS WITH STAFF, EMPLOYEES, STUDENTS, INTERNS

Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure Contract – Non-Clinical Staff, Stundents/Interns, Volunteers
Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure Contract – On-Site Agents – No Approved Access to Patient Info.(e.g., janitor, “plant lady,” computer technician, etc.)

G. COURT-RELATED FORMS & CHARTS

A. Filing A Motion to Quash a Subpoena
B. Chart: Court-Related Roles “Which Hat are you Wearing?”

H. BOOK by Mary Alice Fisher, Ph.D.  (Oxford University Press, January 2013)
The Ethics of Conditional Confidentiality: A Practice Model for Mental Health Professionals
Order from the Book Order Page on our website, from Oxford University Press, or from Amazon.com