PSI Tutor:Mentor

The right to confidentiality of a person’s responses on psychometric and educational tests is governed by national, professional and organizational policy to ensure that tests are used to promote the high standards of their use and inform best practices.

It is important for professional clinicians to adhere to a set of guidelines so that they can make decisions about the therapeutic-relationship that promote health, wellbeing, and the rights of all stakeholders so as to cultivate bonds of trust throughout the community. Thus, all testing materials are not permitted to circulate freely; instead they are kept in a secure place. Ideally, the individual tests are de-personalized by having Client/participant Number. Tests should be locked separately to signed information consent forms and any other materials that could link client/participants to raw data, or even as to having had a test. Materials remain in a secure place, preferably locked, for at least 5 years.

The tests themselves are not to be left in the care of a third party if that party is not qualified to administer them. In a case such as this there is more potential for a breach of confidentiality, as the unqualified administrator of the test may ask the client/participant to record personal details onto the test, or they may forget to ask the client/participant not to do so. It is also highly likely that the unqualified will not be familiar with ethical practices of the professional clinician, and so not be aware or understand the concept of “right to confidentiality”. This situation places the client/participant at risk of harm as circulation of their details (raw data or demographics) may lead to adverse consequences to themselves, such as disappointment that their trust has been violated, creating a lack of engagement with learning or accessing therapeutic care when needed.

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