Massachusetts Psychiatry and Privileged Communication

Psychologists and privileged communication.

“…Of the returnees from this sample, 50% incorrectly believed that their relationships with clients were privileged. Similar results were obtained by Suarez and Balcanoff (1966), Swoboda, Elwork, Sales, and Levine (1978), and Meyer and Willage (1980).…”

Privileged communications of psychologists.

“…It is interesting to note that in a survey done 15 years ago (Suarez & Balcanoff, 1966), 35% of the psychiatrists surveyed did not favor a malpractice exception. This figure seems rather high but may be due to past insistence on an absolute privilege.…”

Confidentiality in psychotherapy: History, issues, and research.

“…Similarly, two-thirds ( n = 46) of a university counseling center sample were willing to have information released without their consent (Simmons, 1968). In contrast, Slovenko (1966) reported that clinic patients threatened to terminate therapy after overhearing residents discussing cases.…”