Maintaining confidentiality might require withholding complete truthfulness. Which principle is involved?

• A. Beneficence
• B. Veracity
• C. Confidentiality
• D. Justice

Answer: (C)

Confidentiality requires sometimes withholding information to protect a client’s privacy. The principle at work is the duty to keep what clients share private within the therapeutic relationship and to disclose only with informed consent or when legally or ethically required. That means you may not reveal every detail to others or even be fully transparent about every aspect outside the client-therapist context in order to safeguard the client’s privacy. Veracity emphasizes truth-telling, but confidentiality can necessitate limiting disclosure to prevent unnecessary harm or invasion of privacy. Beneficence and justice are important ethical aims, but they don’t specifically govern the protection of client information in the same way confidentiality does.