KEEPING COVENANTS AND CONFIDENCE SACRED - ONE POINT-OF-VIEW

In this age of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) disease, counselors struggle with the dilemma of whether to breach therapeutic confidence in the instance when a client who is HIV infected has informed the counselor of continued sexual activity or injectable substance-using activity without informing his or her partner(s) of this HIV-positive sero-status (being infected with HIV). As more of the one million people infected with HIV become aware of their sero-status, many will seek psychotherapeutic services. Thus, such ethical dilemmas will become intensified. Ethics of covenant have much to contribute to professional consideration of such dilemmas.