Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Injury And Eating Disorders In Minors: When Should The Human Service Professional Break Confidentiality?, Laurie Craigen, Rebekah Cole

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The decision to protect or breach confidentiality is a common ethical dilemma for human service professionals. This decision is further complicated when the client is a child or adolescent. This manuscript examines the issue of confidentiality and minors with two common harmful behaviors in adolescents: self-injury and eating disorders. A continuum of physical and psychological factors are included to help the human service profession in ethical decision making. Two case studies followed by a list of questions to use in the decision making process are also provided.