The effects of confidentiality on the working alliance /

The present study investigated how the issues of perceived and desired confidentiality are related to the working alliance between adolescent clients and their counselors. Fifty-one students between the ages of 14 and 18 years were recruited through two school boards in Canadian cities. Results indicated that adolescents preferred greater levels of confidentiality than they thought they would actually get in hypothetical situations, but preferred significantly less in actual situations. In addition, the level of confidentiality adolescents preferred in both hypothetical and actual situations did not impact the working alliance. The level of confidentiality adolescents thought they would get in hypothetical situations was a significant predictor of the working alliance. In actual situations, however, the level of confidentiality did not impact the working alliance. Theoretical and practical implications for counselors and other researchers, limitations of this study, and future research directions are discussed