Counselor Values And The Pregnant Adolescent Client

Abstract

A PREGNANCY FOR AN unmarried teenager is a dynamic and often traumatic situation. It is generally unplanned and frequently the cause of real heartache. Most counselors will respond with empathy to the problem and certainly to the adolescent.

Counseling adolescents with problem pregnancies.

“…Confidentiality is often important to teenagers seeking help for problem pregnancies, and thus the boundaries of confidentiality should be discussed at the outset of counseling. Some counselors feel that they cannot in good conscience help teenagers make secret arrangements for abortions because such arrangements contravene parents’ legitimate authority over their children (Kennedy, Fitzgibbons, & Corley, 1984). Counselors in religious-affiliated schools may be required to notify administrators about a student’s pregnancy; they may also be forbidden to bring up the topic of abortion.…”