​While confidentiality will be maintained in relationship therapy, it looks a little different from individual therapy—and that has to do with who is considered the client. In relationship therapy, the people engaging in counseling together are collectively considered the client, which is a singular unit regardless of how many individuals are involved. Therefore, confidentiality is maintained in regard to disclosure of protected health information (with the same exceptions relating to safety for individual therapy), but information within the client unit will not be as strictly guarded.

As open communication is an integral part of therapy, I maintain a No Secrets policy when I work with couples+. Secrets impair your ability to fully connect with your partner(s) and actively impede our work together in relationship therapy. If I am informed of a secret by any member of the relationship during the course of therapy, I will encourage the disclosure of the secret within three appointments, either during or outside of the session; I will only hold the secret for that timeframe. If the disclosure does not occur within that timeframe, I will pause treatment and conjoint sessions until the secret is revealed to the other partner(s) in the relationship. In that time, I will provide support to the individual holding the secret to work towards the disclosure during the next conjoint session once relationship therapy resumes.