Breach of trust consequences12/26/2023 ![]() ![]() Even the sharing of therapeutic information with parents or guardians can potentially compromise our clients’ trust in us. Mandated reporters have no choice but to violate confidentiality when they suspect abuse or neglect. We must act, for example, if clients are a threat to themselves or to others. Sometimes, however, trust must be betrayed. This is so important because it relies on a client’s trust that we won’t betray secrets. I have written before in this column that confidentiality is the foundation on which most of our ethics are built as counselors. Their childlike gullibility is long gone by the time they come through my office doorway. ![]() The abused children who come through my office have had their trust violated as well, and I have to work hard to prove myself worthy of their trust. Marriage and family therapists see this kind of shaken trust almost every day. Distrust can generalize to all spouses, everyone of a given gender, or to people in general. The incorrigible proposition that people are trustworthy comes into question. But when the belief that they will always stay together is shattered - by infidelity, for example - their entire world is shaken. In a way, we say, “If I can’t trust in this, then what can I trust?”įor example, most people are familiar with statistics on divorce, but upon getting married, almost no one assumes that they will experience divorce themselves. When these beliefs are called into question, it shakes all of our beliefs. The most serious violations of trust involve incorrigible propositions. In the field of ethnography, the term incorrigible propositions refers to beliefs that are so fundamental to our existence that we don’t even question them. So, to protect ourselves, we must learn, by necessity, that not all people are equally worthy of trust. A violation of trust compromises not only that relationship, but all relationships. But once trust is violated, it will never come naturally again. Con artists do the same thing to adults, preying on our natural human instinct to believe in one another. Sexual perpetrators take advantage of the ease with which children trust by “courting” - pushing boundaries a little at a time so their victims don’t ask too many questions. “My teacher said …” “Coach told me …” “My dad told me …” Whether it’s with parents, siblings, teachers, coaches or sometimes even with counselors, children generally are quick to trust. Trust comes easily for children in almost all relationships. We trust that the products we buy will function properly and feel betrayed when they don’t.Īnd with every secret we share in confidence with another person - no matter how big or small the secret - we trust that it will be protected. Even the cash we exchange requires trust in the value of the currency in our hands. We trust that a check from someone won’t bounce. We trust that our teachers are telling us the truth. Think about how much we depend on trust in our everyday lives. Trust is the foundation on which relationships of any kind are built. ![]()
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