To add to the discussion from another thread. Is it unethical for a counselor to share information received in a counseling session without the permission of those in the session? This is regardless of whether their names are used in the sharing with others.
Is It Unethical
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Bro Tony, May 4, 2006.
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Yes-it is always unethical.
100.0% -
No-it is okay to share information as long as names are not given
0 vote(s)0.0%
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Yes... at the very least, it's rude.
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Isn't it illegal in some states as well?
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If they are a paid counselor, it is also illegal, and they should be released from the job. If it is a church counseling they should never be allowed to counsel anyone agin in that church.
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Where is your proof still waiting? lies all lies
I realy am having fun with this the more you guys write the more people see how smart you are
:rolleyes:
According to you Donna Bible Boy should have his mod rights taken away for gossiping about me at his college. Right? :rolleyes: -
As I have pastored for the last 25 years the one thing that I have shared with my staff right from the beginning is that if they break a confidence they are through. If the people cannot trust the pastor and staff we lose our ability to minister to them. Lips that too easily speak that which has been shared can destroy lives and churches. The mere fact that no names have been shared does not mean that individuals involved will not hear of the sharing and believe (rightly so) that they cannot trust their counselor.
Bro Tony -
I believe a qualifier is necessary. A counselor is required, by law in many (if not all) states, to report things like child abuse, elder abuse, suicide threats, homicide threats, and the like.
If none of these are present, then it is highly unethical for a counselor to divulge any information from a counseling session. It doesn't matter whether the counselor gives names or not. Giving names just makes it that much more unethical.
I may be mistaken (and if I am, please correct me), but I believe the counselor-counselee relationship is identical to client-attorney privilege. An attorney who violates that privilege can, and should be, disbarred. A counselor who violates their privilege should have their license (if they have one) revoked. -
What confidence? no names no places no real anything.
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Bro Tony -
Asking an ethics professor is something is ethical is not gossip, it is clarifying a though or opinion. Thats what they are for. And it has nothing to do with mods on this board what goes on outside this board. So don't say according to me anything, thats putting words into my mouth.
You have not addressed the fact, which has been stated many times on your multiply threads, that since you are a counselor, or so you say, sharing what you learned in private counseling is unethical, and if you are a paid counselor, thats your job counseling, then it is also illegal.
Your going in circles Frenchy. -
Isa 6:5 Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.
Sounds like a lot of churches I know that are full of loose lips! -
In Alabama, 2-3 recent prominent court cases have gone this way: if the Pastor claims to be functioning AS A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR, then issues of malpractice and privilege can apply. If your function is that you are giving pastoral advice, the courts have been much less stringent.
Of course, I'm sure that most of us minister types agree that we should be above and beyond reproach, whether or not the law gives us leeway. -
Is It Unethical
Yes-it is always unethical. 91% (10)
No-it is okay to share information as long as names are not given 9% (1)
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YES common sense says it's unethical.
I don't know of anyone that would go to a counselor if they knew that counselor was going around talking about their private conversations. -
Whoops. Problem.
I'm a student minister. I never promise absolute confidentiality. What if there's a suicide, eating disorder, etc.?
General public? Of course, no discussion.
Parents or authority figures? Sometimes I gotta break confidence. -
Remember Eph. 4? -
Frenchy, you have called people swine, unsaved, and now liars. Shame on you!!
To the point of the poll, any counsellor divulging confidences, with or without names, and not covered by the exceptions of law noted, should never counsel again. They are indeed a gossip and worse. -
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Acting appropriately to save someones life is a far cry from gossiping about it though. -
I agree with those who are talking about exceptions because of legal issues. But the main point of the original question had more to do with counselors sharing information from a session to make a point or to share it with a group who has no need to know.
Bro Tony -
Wow...gee... The thread name? "Is it ethical?"
Below it...a "flood post" (posted on every thread).
Is it ethical?
Pardon me while I have an Irony Sandwich and a cup of Irony.
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