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I have seen at times where people assume that clients that are court ordered for therapy don't have the same rights as people that come by their own choice. This is not true. In fact, court ordered clients have the same rights to informed consent and other areas. Some areas that differ include:
Typically, when a client is ordered by the court to receive therapy, the court...Â
(a) requires that the client attend a certain number of sessions as a condition of his/her probation, parole, or sentence;Â
(b) determines what information the therapist may not keep confidential; andÂ
(c) requires that the client sign a release of information that permits his/her therapist to inform the court about whether or not the client complies with the court order.Â
The client may choose not to comply with a court request for the release of information, but in doing so, may be held in contempt of court. Therefore, even when a court has ordered a client to receive services from you, the client's right to confidentiality is not waived: You need to have a release of information signed by the client in order to discuss his/her case with others, including court personnel or his/her probation officer.