Privilege and the counseling profession

By common law, attorneys possess the right of privileged communication, and in most states statutory law has extended the prerogative to physicians, clergymen, and psychologists. Whether or not the counselor-client relationship should also be entitled to the privilege is a matter that generates argument. This article examines the significance of the privilege, its present status in regard to the practicing counselor, and some of the reasons both for and against its extension.