Limited Confidentiality and the Pedophile

There are other ethical and legal dilemmas inherent in balancing a pedophile's right to limited confidentiality with society's right to protect its children. For example, we need to further consider the implications of a therapist's duty to disclose patient records if a case does ever reach court (12). We also need to examine our new awareness of young children who have been abused and then proceed to abuse others while they are still children. Should these abusreactive children be assessed as dangerous to other children, and should we then report them and warn all of their peers? As Mr. S's case illustrates, there are no simple solutions. But it is hoped that clinicians will continue to recognize their own rights and responsibilities while they seek to protect their position as effective therapists, a position that must be fortified if we are to protect our patients and our society's children.