As such, participants should be appropriately informed about limits of confidentiality and disclosure
issues. Appropriate safeguards should be implemented to maximize confidentiality through careful
selection of setting and through participant and parent contracts.
Breaching Confidentiality: When Is It Appropriate to Breach Confidentiality?
School psychologists need to be mindful that practitioners must breach confidentiality when a
student poses a risk to him/herself or others. Discussed as “duty to warn or protect,” schools should
develop policies necessitating breaches to confidentiality.
Group Membership: How Will Members Be Selected?
Determining group membership is critical to group counseling. How will members be selected?
Will teacher referrals and parent requests be considered? Will self-referrals be accepted? Will
questionnaires or assessment tools be used to select members? Screening and selecting members
should be approached thoughtfully. Schools need to consider use of consents in gathering referrals
and the use of notification procedures as group membership is explored.
Topical Groups: What Topics Will Focus Groups?
What will be the focus of the group? Because of the wide array of issues impacting children and
youth, there is no shortage of topical issues well suited for group counseling. Familial alcoholism?
Parental divorce? Physical abuse in the home? Sexual abuse? Depression? Aggression? Leaders
need to consider group focus prior to forming a group. At the same time, certain topical home issues
may elevate parental discomfort and prevent consent unless leaders approach parents/guardians with
thoughtful preparedness. Schools might consider multiple groups to enhance appeal and decrease
parental concern.
Notification: Is It Adequate to Provide Notification Regarding Membership
and Confidentiality?
Notification is generally a lower standard for practice than is the acquisition of informed
consent. Do students actually read all the various handouts provided by teachers and administrators?