Guide to Ethics, Confidentiality & Boundaries in Working with Children & Adolescents

Working with children and adolescents as mental health professionals is both rewarding and uniquely challenging. Unlike adult clients, young people bring a host of considerations around consent, privacy, family dynamics, and developmental maturity. Due to this, many mental health professionals face challenges around ethics and confidentiality, which are both complex and critical. When a child says, “Don’t tell my parents,” what do you do? The answer isn’t always simple, and that’s precisely where Dr. Kathryn S. Krase steps in.

Kathryn S. Krase, PhD, JD, MSW, LMSW, is a seasoned expert in mental health ethics, child legal advocacy, and professional boundaries. She offers invaluable insights through her specialized courses available both live and instant on-demand.

The course, “Don’t Tell My Parents: Ethics, Confidentiality & Boundaries for Working with Kids & Teens,” is meticulously designed to equip professionals with the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate the ethical complexities of working with young clients. It delves deeply into the real-world ethical obligations that mental health professionals face when working with young clients. This training delivers relevant, up-to-date insights to strengthen your practice and protect your clients. You can access this course via Core Wellness in both live and on-demand formats.

Understanding the Ethical Landscape

Children and adolescents often seek assurance that their disclosures will remain confidential. However, professionals are legally mandated to report certain information, such as suspected abuse or threats of harm. Dr. Krase’s course explores these complexities, providing a framework to help practitioners determine when confidentiality must be maintained and when disclosure is necessary. This balance is crucial to maintaining trust while fulfilling legal responsibilities.

Why Working with Youth is Not the Same as Adults

Adults typically consent to their own treatment, have full legal rights to confidentiality, and understand professional boundaries. But children? Not so simple. Youth clients may not fully comprehend confidentiality limits, and their caregivers often expect transparency.

Dr. Krase addresses this developmental and legal complexity head-on. You’ll learn to navigate situations where:

• Children disclose sensitive information and request secrecy
• Parents seek full access to session notes or demand updates
• You’re required to report suspected harm or abuse
• Emotional and cognitive development impact ethical decision-making

The course goes beyond theoretical ethics, providing practical frameworks tailored specifically to younger populations.

Confidentiality: When to Keep It and When to Break It

Young clients often say, “Promise you won’t tell anyone.” It’s vital to preserve trust while also complying with state and federal laws. This course breaks down:

• The legal and ethical thresholds for breaching confidentiality
• How to clearly explain the limits of confidentiality to young clients
• Documentation best practices for when disclosures are made
• Involving caregivers without undermining the therapeutic relationship

Confidentiality is not just about ethics. It’s also about safety, legality, and therapeutic integrity.

Parental Involvement: Ethical or Intrusive?

Parents and guardians play a pivotal role in the therapeutic process, yet their involvement must be carefully managed to respect the autonomy of the young client. Balancing parental rights and child privacy is one of the trickiest dynamics in youth-focused therapy. While guardians are often necessary participants in treatment, their involvement can sometimes create ethical conflicts or breaches of trust.

Dr. Krase’s training offers strategies for:

• Collaborating with caregivers without over-sharing
• Navigating power struggles between child and parent
• Using structured communication and clear boundary-setting
• Educating families on what ethical therapy for children looks like

With Dr. Krase’s guidance, you’ll gain tools to ensure your work honors both your young clients and their caregivers, without compromising ethics. The course offers strategies for engaging parents appropriately, ensuring that their participation supports rather than hinders the therapeutic alliance.

Ethics in the Digital Age: Technology & Social Media

In today’s digital world, mental health professionals must be prepared to handle a new layer of ethical complications related to media tools, including technology and social media. Children and teens are digital natives, and they expect instant communication, blurred boundaries, and often access to their providers beyond the therapy room.

This course addresses critical tech-related scenarios:

• Should you accept a follow-up request from a client?
• How do you manage text messages from teen clients after hours?
• What happens when a client shares session content on social media?
• How do you document or respond to DMs that disclose self-harm?

Dr. Krase provides ethical guidelines and boundary-setting strategies to help you maintain professionalism in a tech-saturated culture, without alienating or shaming your young clients.

Live and On-Demand: Flexibility for Every Schedule

The course is available in two convenient formats:

• Live Webinar: Attend real-time sessions, engage in interactive discussion, and participate in Q&A with Dr. Krase.
• On-Demand Course: Learn at your own pace with high-quality video modules you can revisit any time.

Both formats are CEU-approved and designed to be as flexible and impactful as possible for busy professionals.

Expanding Your Ethical Expertise with Dr. Krase

Interested in diving deeper into other critical ethical topics? Beyond the course “Don’t Tell My Parents - Ethics, Confidentiality & Boundaries For Working with Kids & Teens”, Dr. Krase offers a suite of programs that discuss deeper into specific areas of ethical practice:

1. Maintaining Appropriate Professional Boundaries: Boundary crossings can jeopardize therapeutic outcomes. This course explores dual relationships, social media contact, and emotional entanglements. Ideal for child and teen therapists, it provides real-world examples and prevention strategies to maintain ethical boundaries.

2. Advanced Ethical Issues for Mandated Reporters of Child Maltreatment: Focusing on the complexities of mandated reporting, this course examines the ethical dilemmas professionals face when determining whether to report suspected abuse. It offers strategies for making informed decisions that prioritize the child’s well-being.

3. What Happens in Therapy, Stays in Therapy. Unless… : Confidentiality has limits. This course clarifies exceptions such as danger to self/others, abuse reporting, and legal proceedings. Learn to handle these situations with confidence while maintaining trust and protecting clients, especially when working with minors.

Why Choose Dr. Kathryn S. Krase?

Dr. Kathryn S. Krase holds a PhD, JD, MSW, and LMSW. She’s not only a mental health ethics expert but also a child legal advocate with extensive experience as a family law attorney, social work supervisor, and educator. With over 20 years of experience in academic and consulting roles in New York City and beyond, Dr. Krase is a leading voice in legal-ethical training for mental health professionals.

As the Principal Consultant for Krase Consulting in Brooklyn, New York, she specializes in educating professionals on their legal and ethical obligations. Her courses are renowned for their clarity, practicality, and relevance to current practice challenges.

Final Thoughts

In a world where kids are more connected, vocal, and vulnerable than ever, professionals need clear, informed, ethical guidance that goes beyond just good intentions. Ethical practice is the cornerstone of effective work with children and adolescents. Dr. Krase’s courses offer essential guidance for professionals committed to upholding the highest standards of care. 

This course will sharpen your skills, bolster your confidence, and help you navigate even the most challenging cases with clarity and care. By engaging with Dr. Krase’s courses, you will enhance your ability to navigate the complex ethical terrain of working with young clients, ensuring that your practice is both legally sound and ethically robust.