ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅᴀʀɪᴇs ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟɪᴛʏ.

‎In a world where information has become a weapon, being in control of one's privacy seem like the only way to avoid being a victim of a scandal. We all have things we would rather keep to ourselves than allow the rest of the public know about it. Despite how much we might want to keep these things a secret, there are times we have no choice but to share it with specific people when the situation arises.
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‎Not disclosing information about one's health, can lead to wrong diagnosis. It might end up causing more harm than good. To protect client privacy, the confidentiality agreement was created. To enable people to share their personal information without worrying about being exposed or ridiculed.
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‎Since information about my personal life are completely mine, I have the right to decide who knows about it. Under the umbrella of professionalism, confidentiality is everything. Regardless of the situation, a client or source privacy must be protected, especially from those who would seek such information to do us harm.
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‎But then, nothing is ever as it seems. When it comes to policies, there is always a clause or loophole. Protecting clients personal information might seem important but in a situation where we are faced with another option with equal importance, protecting clients info might become less important.

‎Imagine a serial killer having a therapist, who he/she trust with his/her own private information. If there is something common among most serial killers, it is how much they love to brag about their act. They want someone to hear about how much pain they inflict on their victims. Being such a person therapist means, you are in the position to offer the person, your professional opinion while protecting the information being shared.
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‎At some point, the confidentiality agreement won't be enough to keep the therapist mouth sealed because, every session, the serial killer comes back to discuss about the atrocities he/she had committed and might even talk about who the next victim might be. In a situation like this, regardless of what the confidentiality agreement states, the therapist duty to the society comes first before anything else.
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‎As long as it is for public safety, the law wouldn't outrightly hold the therapist responsible for breaching the confidentiality agreement, if the therapist eventually decides to speak up. There is definitely going to be a legal battle because we live in an era where even someone as cruel as a serial killer also have the privilege of being represented in court. Which means the serial killer is capable of sueing the therapist for breaching the confidentiality agreement.
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‎This is one of the reasons why people who are binded by the confidentiality agreement, find it very difficult to disclose their client info, or else they are forced to by the court. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it, if disclosing a client info will help save lives. But then, the world we live in isn't black and white, the confidentiality agreement was created to protect our privacy and without it, people's personal info will become a bargaining chip.

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‎_{This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled Client privilege in hive learners community.}
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‎_{Cover Image - generated using chatgpt}
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