Therapy101 / Relationships
Confidentiality in joint work
When more than one person is involved, it can help to ask how confidentiality, individual meetings and records will be handled.
Questions about privacy
When more than one person is involved in therapy, privacy involves not only what stays inside the consulting room, but also how information is handled between the people taking part. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy suggests discussing in advance what happens if a practitioner meets participants individually as well as together, including whether anything shared in an individual session is kept confidential from the other partner.
Different policies on individual disclosures
Practitioners and services handle individual disclosures in different ways. Some couple therapists agree a ‘no-secrets’ policy from the outset, meaning the therapist will not hold secrets between partners that are relevant to the joint work. Others agree that individual check-in sessions remain confidential unless there is a risk of serious harm, or discuss with a partner how to bring important material into the joint session.
A constructed example
Constructed for learning. Not a real case.
At the start of couple therapy, the practitioner explains that they will meet the couple together in session one, meet each partner once individually in week two, and then return to joint sessions. Before the individual meetings take place, the practitioner explains their policy on what will and will not be shared between partners and asks both partners to confirm that they agree to those terms.
UK and US professional guidance
In the UK, the BACP’s 2026 Ethical Framework asks members to explain foreseeable limits to confidentiality and to set clear working agreements at the start of therapy.
In the US, Standard 10.02 of the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Code requires psychologists who provide services to several persons who have a relationship (such as spouses, significant others, or parents and children) to take reasonable steps at the outset to clarify which of the individuals are clients and the relationship the psychologist will have with each person, including how information will be used and shared.
Limits and open questions
Even with a clear agreement at the start, unexpected disclosures or changes in a relationship (such as separation or legal proceedings) can complicate access to records. Arrangements depend on the practitioner, setting and jurisdiction, and this page is general information rather than legal advice.
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: UK guide to couples counselling. Says to look for a therapist with couples experience and training, and to agree in advance what happens if the therapist meets either partner individually, including whether anything shared individually stays confidential.
Supports: Sections 1.2(b) and 3.1(d) address agreeing clear working terms and explaining foreseeable limits to confidentiality.
Supports: Standard 10.02 (Therapy Involving Couples or Families) and Standard 4.02 (Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality) address clarifying at the outset who the clients are, the practitioner's role with each person, and how information is shared.