Re:phototherapy & ADHD

you asked, "how could I use phototherapy in a group with emotionally disturbed adolescents in a community center while keeping client confidentiality?"

A full response to this would be many pages (which I'm willing to attempt if you want to email me directly, "back-channel" (email address below), but for now, I will just try to give you a few comments here on this page...

If I understand your question correctly, the focus of it is not so much "how to use PhotoTherapy with a group of Adolescents", but more is "how do you do PhotoTherapy with a group of minors while not breaching confidentiality by having their photographs?" (is this correct?)

(if I am wrong, and it is instead the first topic you are asking about, please go to the PhotoTherapy website (see below) and look at the pages for: 1) techniques, 2) recommended readings (many of which are about using these techniques with adolescents), 3) student theses and projects which have already been done (several about such projects), and more.

Now, re: confidentiality, my first question would be, is this a "therapy group", or a "youth activity group"? (you said it's at a Community Center, so I'm not clear...)

if it's a therapy group, you would use the same confidentiality guidelines as your professional organization requires re: therapy in general, and art therapy in particular. Whoever trained you in PhotoTherapy would likely have sample release forms and formal guidelines re: doing this work with minors.

If you didn't get trained, then perhaps you learned from my book? if so,then discussion/recommendation about these sorts of things are in there.

If you want, I can mail you my article about "Ethical guidelines for PhotoTherapy" (no charge, but send me your mailing address back-channel).

But it's a complicated subject... first of all if you mean re: having their faces IN photos that are taken, you have to get the permission for this *in advance*, right? so when you have the release forms signed to get permission to DO the group, you build in the "rules" about their options and then they can tell you "yes" or "no", or "yes, but under the following conditions" (conditions would be things like, "yes you can photograph me and keep the photos, but you cannot show to others" or "yes, but if you plan to show to others or use for writing about later, you have to cover my face or disguise my features satisfactorily" -- things like that)

and, If you mean later uses of their photos, it's a different subject altogether.

and, since they are minors, you will run into the issue of whether you having their photos, and guaranteeing them that no-one else will see them, whether you actually CAN make this promise legally, if they are under-age.

In all cases, these are things that you have to spell out in advance, for your sake/protection as well as theirs, and it has to be on terms that the agency which is employing you will find legally acceptable.

there are ALWAYS ways to do the work, and get around what seem to be insurmountable "road-blocks" -- in the long run, if you take the time to get every little detail about this in place before beginning the work, then the work really flows smoothly and safely, as a result...

if you want more information, please go to the website at:
http://www.phototherapy-centre.com
and/or write to me directly at:
jweiser@phototherapy-centre.com

Judy

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