Summary
Confidentiality represents an important obligation to patients of mental health professionals. It typically invokes an explicit promise to reveal nothing about a patient without that individual's expressed, informed consent (McQuire, Toal, & Blau, 1985). The advent of the Tarasoff case has changed the scope of confidentiality both ethically and legally since the birth of the psychology profession. Consideration for the welfare of the individual patient was weighed against consideration for the welfare of society as a whole. How confidentiality law affects patients' self-disclosures, the therapeutic relationship, and ultimate therapy outcome is not yet clear. This paper explores the effects of confidentiality law on these issues.