Therapists once promised patients "Everything you tell me will remain in this room." Today, they can keep that promise only if they are willing to break the laws that now require them to disclose information without patient consent. Most avoid such civil disobedience by placing limits on confidentiality; but ethically speaking, this 'conditional' confidentiality can be difficult to practice.

The Ethics of Conditional Confidentiality: A Practice Model for Mental Health Professionals is a guidebook designed to help therapists and other mental health professionals navigate the...