Confidentiality breaches due to legal obligations are described as which?

• A. Frequent and required by statute.
• B. Uncommon; legal obligations may necessitate breaches, but they are infrequent.
• C. Frequent and optional.
• D. Unrelated to legal obligations.

Answer: (B)

Confidentiality is the default in counseling, with clear exceptions allowed by law. When a legal obligation requires disclosure—such as mandated reporting of certain risks or abuse, or complying with a court order or subpoena—that counts as a breach, but only in those specific, legally defined situations. Those scenarios are relatively rare in routine practice, so breaches tied to legal requirements are described as uncommon. They’re not optional, because the professional must disclose only to the extent the law requires, and they’re not unrelated to legal obligations since the disclosure is driven by statute or court directive. In short, legal-mandated disclosures occur only in narrow, infrequent circumstances, which is why this description fits best.