Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
General Information
Title: Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors in New York State
Presenter: Bruce V. Hillowe, JD, PhD, Attorney-Psychologist
Dates: Tuesday, January 5, 2027. 11:00am-1:00pm
Fee: $95. Early bird until 9/1 $70. Includes 2 CE credits and 2 months access to recordings.
Venue: Live Webinar (Zoom)
CE Credits: 2
Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
Description
This continuing education course provides licensed psychotherapists in New York State with a comprehensive framework for navigating the legal, professional and ethical complexities of confidentiality and privilege when treating minors. Clinicians will examine the distinction between clinical confidentiality and legal privilege, with specific guidance on age of consent and informed consent, the ongoing necessity of parental involvement, reporting child abuse and neglect including the limits of the mandate and crimes against children, the New York Safe Act and reporting of risk to self and others, access to the treatment records of minors by parents and third parties, and involvement in legal matters and litigation involving children including the limiting role of therapists as fact witnesses . Participants will analyze scenarios involving married, divorced and unmarried parents, joint legal custody arrangements, the specific age thresholds required for independent consent under New York law, and providing ongoing information to consenting parents. Attendees will learn to balance a child’s right to a safe therapeutic space with a parent’s legal right to access treatment information and records.
The curriculum delivers guidance on managing mandatory reporting duties, and clinical disclosures such as sexual activity, substance use, criminal behavior and symptomatology. Therapists will be provided with appropriate informed consent forms, a sample New York State form for denying access to minors’ records, a copy of the SAFE Act, and a summary of the New York State mandate regarding reporting child abuse and neglect. By the conclusion of this seminar, practitioners will possess the practical tools necessary to obtain informed consent, maintain confidentiality of minors’ treatment within legal and ethical bounds, and respond to requests for legal involvement and subpoenas. This course fulfills New York State continuing education requirements for psychologists, social workers, licensed mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts and creating arts therapists.
Instructors
Bruce V. Hillowe, J.D, Ph.D. is a mental healthcare attorney with a law practice in Garden City, New York. A graduate of Binghamton University, Duke University School of Law, and Adelphi University Derner Institute (Clinical Psychology and Postdoctoral Programs), he formerly practiced as a psychologist-psychoanalyst, including as a coordinator of clinical training and a director of a forensic mental health service. He was a teaching attending psychologist in law and ethics at a major teaching hospital for 15 years. He currently teaches courses in ethics and law as adjunct faculty at the Derner Institute. He is legal counsel to numerous mental health facilities, institutes, and practitioners and sponsors legal plans for professional associations. He has written articles and book chapters including for law reviews and healthcare publications, most recently regarding scope of practice and disciplinary defense. He is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers in healthcare law and is a “SuperLawyer” featured in the New York Times Magazine. Bruce has defended hundreds of mental health practitioners in professional disciplinary proceedings in New York State, many of them for alleged boundary violations.
Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
Objectives
1. Differentiate between clinical confidentiality and legal privilege under New York CPLR and Family Court Act guidelines.
2. Identify when and how parents or guardians hold the legal authority to consent to a minor’s treatment and access a minor’s mental health records
3. Apply New York State age-of-consent exceptions for minors regarding substance use treatment, reproductive healthcare, and crisis intervention.
4. Apply parental informed consent and establish communication boundaries before treatment begins and as it progresses.
5. Assess when the State mandates apply necessitating disclosure of child abuse and neglect, and risk to self or others.
6. Analyze whether and how a psychotherapist can ethically become involved in legal determinations regarding minor patients.
CE Information
Continuing Education Credits are granted through Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC for the following professions: Psychologists, Social workers, Mental Health Counselors, LMFTs, and LCATs. It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.
APA
Nachas Consulting is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
ASWB
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC, 2035, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/02/2025 – 08/02/2028 Social workers completing this course receive 2 ethics continuing education credits.
NBCC
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting PLLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7503. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
New York State Social Workers
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0785.
New York State Mental Health Counselors
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Mental Health Counselor #MHC-0195
New York State Psychology
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0072.
New York State Marriage Therapy
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0121.
New York State Creative Arts Therapist
Neuhoff Psychological Consulting, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0112.
References
Smith, A., & Jones, B. (2025). The global ethics-law dilemma in psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1665158.
Brown, H. L., Underhill, K., Gradus, J. L., & Nelson, K. M. (2026). History of minor consent laws for mental health treatment in the US. JAMA Health Forum, 7(4), e260927.
Greenfield, L., et al. (2023). The prevalence of confidential content in adolescent progress notes: Implications for electronic proxy access. Journal of Adolescent Health, 72(5), 723-729.
American Academy of Pediatrics Health Information Technology Committee. (2026). Principles for health information technology to support and protect adolescent confidentiality. Pediatrics, 157(3), e2025075747.
Satisfactory Completion:
Participants must have signed in and out, attended the entire workshop to receive a certificate. Failure to sign/log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available electronically after satisfactory course completion. A link will be provided for those who have completed the training.
Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
Policies
Application Deadline: January 3, 2027 or until all training spaces are filled, whichever comes first.
Notification of Acceptance
Applicants will be notified, via email, of acceptance when registration is complete, and payment is received.
Refund/Cancellation Policy
Tuition/registration payments are refundable until December 5, 2026. Cancellations after this date are non-refundable. In this situation, we will attempt to find someone to take your slot (based on our waiting list).
Accessibility
There will be handicap accessibility.
Course level
Level of clinician
Our Grievance Policy for trainings is available here.
Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
Schedule
| Tuesday, January 5, 2027. 11:00am-1:00pm ET. | 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM ET 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM ET 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM ET 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM ET 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM ET 12:15 PM – 12:30 PM ET 12:30 PM – 12:45 PM ET 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM ET |
Confidentiality and Privilege in Psychotherapy with Minors
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