Privacy, Confidentiality, and Duty to Warn in Treating Persons Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Narrative Review

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Duty to Warn in Treating Persons Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Narrative Review

Kelly Walk; Suchika Siotia

Fielding Graduate University

Various court systems often mandate treatment for individuals convicted of sexual offenses (ICSO). Legal parameters often limit how clinicians provide services, and information is shared to protect the community and the ICSO. Ethical challenges often present as clinicians serve ICSO, especially concerning privacy, confidentiality, and the duty to warn. Research shows that not all approaches to clinical treatment with ICSO are effective, especially when examining client treatment engagement and the therapeutic alliance. Issues of diversity and culture further complicate inherently complex and precarious situations involved in treatment with ICSO. This narrative review highlights the need for clinicians to stay well-informed, remain diligently transparent, and practice cultural sensitivity in approaches to therapy with ICSO.

Keywords: ICSO, privacy, duty to warn, confidentiality

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How to cite this article:

Kelly Walk; Suchika Siotia. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Duty to Warn in Treating Persons Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Psychological Research and Reviews, 2022, 5:66. DOI: 10.28933/ijprr-2022-11-1107kwss

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