Preserving Hope in the Duty to Protect: Counselling Clients with HIV or AIDS

Psychologists may struggle with what to do when counselling recalcitrant HIV-positive clients who refuse to disclose to third parties at risk. This paper revisits the legal and ethical quagmire that pits "dangerous patient exception" against client confidentiality rights. W i t h the notion that hope leads to more ethical behaviour, this paper further elucidates the significance of maintaining client hope in the face of a legal "duty to protect." A 'duty to maintain hope,' which may ultimately minimize the spread of H I V in society by inviting client's social responsibility, is proposed. A four-level guide is offered to assist Canadian psychologists in this endeavour. Future research directions are