Ethical and Legal Considerations in Counseling Children and Youth

This assignment delves into the ethical and legal complexities inherent in counseling children and youth. It addresses key areas such as navigating the balance between parental and child privacy, the ethical dilemmas of transparency with minors, and the importance of establishing a strong therapeutic relationship. The assignment explores the legal aspects of informed consent, the application of privileged communications, and the role of counselors as agents of social control, including when to breach confidentiality. Furthermore, it examines the concepts of "Duty to Warn" and "Duty to Protect," along with ethical guidelines for handling sensitive issues like drug abuse and sexual abuse. The assignment also outlines guidelines for educating children about group confidentiality and the role of touch in the counseling process. The document utilizes relevant resources to support the analysis.

Questionnaire for Ethical and legal considerations when counseling children and youth
Question 1
Explained the methods to safeguard the mutual competing interests of privacy between parents
and children while counseling kids?
Question 2
Can we write off the competing interests of the kids and teenagers and give way to transparency
while counseling youngsters? What are the ethical dilemmas that can be explored while making
this decision (Ford, 2015)?
Question 3
During the course of the development of a therapeutic relationship with the youngster what are
key areas that should be touched upon?
Question 4
What is the legal perspective about getting an “ informed consent” of the minors during a session
of the counseling? Do they have the right to give informed consent or we need to collect it from
the parents and guardians?
Question 5
Please explain the clause of the “Privileged communications” during the course of counseling?
Should a counselor walk the extra mile to resolve the problem in the favor of victim or he should
stick to the wishes of the parents ( in the cases when one among the parents is guilty)?

Question 6
Explain the conditions when a counselor can act as an “agent of social control” and intervene in
the issues while crossing the “oath of secrecy and confidentiality?” Please share the necessary
guidelines related to the ethical dilemmas of a councilor while acting as a professional and
ignoring or reacting to the social responsibilities as an “agent of social control (Brooks, 2015) ?”
Question 7
Explain the concepts of “Duty to warn” and “Duty to protect” while undertaking the sessions for
the counseling?
Question 8
A councilor dealing with serious issues like drug abuse, or sexual abuse often finds it difficult to
report certain facts to the competent higher authorities because it can hamper their therapeutic
alliance with the patients? Kindly share the competent guidelines that help a councilor in fixing
the ethical dilemmas dealing with this condition?
Question 9
What are the guidelines to educate children about the concept of “ group confidentially?”What
are the challenges that a counselor may face while attaining this important phase of the
treatment?
Question 10
Please define the role of touch in the process of counseling and healing? What are the guidelines
for employee touch as a tool to enhance the impact of the counseling session?

Bibliography
Brooks, B. (2015). Minors’ Rights to Confidentiality, When Parents Want to Know: An Ethical
Scenario. Knowledge center,
https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/minors-rights-to-confidentiality-
when-parents-want-to-know-an-ethical-scenario.pdf?sfvrsn=12.
Ford, C. (2015). Ethical and Legal Considerations When Counseling Children and Families.
Australia and New Zealand Journal of Family therapy,
https://fardapaper.ir/mohavaha/uploads/2019/05/Fardapaper-Ethical-and-Legal-
Considerations-When-Counselling-Children-and-Families.pdf.