Parents: Dilemmas for Professionals

A professional critically examines her practices towards parents whilst an educational psychologist. Aspects of the power relationship are explored, including acting as a friend, the trappings of professionalism, privacy and confidentiality, interprofessional trust, and the provision of services. A tentative conclusion reached is that these create dilemmas which are part of the workings of the system within which the educational psychologist works, and that professional survival is the underlying motive.