STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE APPLICATION OF CONFIDENTIALITY IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated the extent to which guidance counselors apply confidentiality in counseling practices in secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. Eight hundred secondary schools students participated as respondents in this study. Purposive sampling procedure was adopted to select eight (8) local government areas used in this study. A self-structured Application of Confidentiality in Counseling Rating Scale (ACCRS) based on the Likert type of scale was used in collecting data for the study. Mean scores were extracted and used to answer the research question while Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The results of this study revealed that guidance counselors kept secret of all the conversations and discussions they had with their clients during their counseling practices and that there was significant difference existing in the perception of secondary school students on extent to which guidance counselors apply the ethics of confidentiality in counseling practices. The study also exposed the existence of significant difference in the perception of secondary school students on extent to which guidance counselors apply the ethics of confidentiality in their counseling practices and that interaction effect did not exist in the perception of male and female secondary school students on the guidance counselors’ application of ethics of confidentiality during their counseling practices among the secondary schools investigated. It was recommended that both the guidance counselors and the counselees should apply the ethics of confidentiality in their counseling programs therefore keeping secret of all their discussions and that they should ensure that code of ethics of confidentiality in counseling profession is seriously maintained and emphasized.