Andersen, Mark B (2005) ‘Yeah, I work with Beckham’: Issues of confidentiality, privacy and privilege in sport psychology service delivery. Sport and Exercise Psychology Review, 1 (2). pp. 5-13. ISSN 1745-4980

Abstract

The interrelated constructs of privacy, confidentiality and privilege, much discussed in legal and medical arenas, are sometimes given perfunctory treatment in the education and training of sport psychologists. This article briefly traces the history, debate, and practices of ethical delivery of service from Hippocrates to current sport psychology professional relationships. Sport psychologists often operate in looser environments (e.g. on the pool deck, courtside, in the locker room) than those of other psychologists, and it seems that some concepts of ethical practice, such as confidentiality, are also looser (Andersen, Van Raalte, & Brewer, 2001). This looseness in the field may be, in part, a result of the myriad educational and training pathways people take to get to the point of acting in psychological caring roles with athletes and coaches. This article is a strident questioning of some of the ethically loose practices of individuals and sport institutes in the world of sport psychology services. The author hopes it sparks some lively debate.

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