School Counseling

Abstract

School psychologists have many legal and ethical obligations to students and there parents. When conducting counseling sessions and other therapeutic interventions in schools there may be some concerns with confidentiality and privacy for the student. Before conducting and providing treatment services, they must inform the parents or legal guardians of the child to approve of the services planned by the school psychologists. When working with children explaining to them their rights and then explaining to them their lack of rights if their parents want information can be very difficult. What is fortunate is that most families will respect their privacy of their children and not question the school psychologists were there is a small percentage of parents who may.

What may be difficult to understand for some students of school psychology and certified school psychologists is that the child is not their only client, but that the parents are. Due to the law and ethics of dealing with minors in a school setting the parents and/or legal guardians have the right to know what it that there child is experiencing through out there school day. If a school psychologists is providing counseling sessions with a child they must obtain permission from the parent. To gain permission from their parent they may have to inform the parent of some information that the child may feel as private.

When meeting with the students in counseling situations the first step is to explain to them the limits of confidentiality. School psychologists will explain to the student that they will keep the information expressed during there counseling sessions as private unless three things occur. The three things are safety, th...

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...specifics between the school psychologists and the child for the child’s well being.

This will affect the learner’s future work. This leaner has trouble dealing with the concept that the parent is the client not the child. This learner feels that to make a difference in a child or adolescents life one must have there trust, and to betray that trust will be very difficult even if the parent or guardian is requesting this. This learner will find herself practicing on vague responses to the parent. Another method this learner will use is when writing notes during counseling sessions she will be very vague. This learner will not write verbatim notes of what the student is saying, so that if a parent or guardian asks to those notes they can not know what the child’s words were but can see this learner plans for the student and what topics that were addressed instead.