GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION This intermediate course provides participants with needed information on the issues of privacy, confidentiality, and privilege. This course provides practical and relevant information for mental health professionals to use in their practices. Essential issues are addressed in detail to include developing an understanding of the importance of privacy, confidentiality, and privilege, learning how they apply to our practices, understanding the ethical dilemmas and pitfalls all mental health professionals face, learning how our profession's ethics code and relevant laws apply, and developing an understanding of the practical steps we each may take to protect privacy and preserve confidentiality. Special challenges to preserving confidentiality with different populations and treatment modalities are discussed as well. The first two articles provide an introduction to the concepts of privacy, confidentiality, and privilege along with a review of the areas of practice where they are relevant for mental health professionals. The next nine articles address the day-to-day details of practice relevant to confidentiality and its exceptions, with particular attention given to the different populations with which psychotherapists work. The final three articles provide a review of Codes Of Ethics that each mental health professional must be knowledgeable of, special article on CA Law on Confidentiality and finally you are provided with useful clinical forms that may be easily adapted for use in one's practice.