When taking a history from a young person HEADS is useful.
We should start with “Everything in this room is confidential” and then run through:
- H
- Home
- Health
- Heros
- Helpers
- E
- Education
- Employment
- Exercise
- Eating
- A
- Activities
- Ambition
- Anxiety
- Affect
- D
- Depression
- Drugs – Alcohol
- Drugs – Cigarettes/Vapes
- Drugs – Other (Prescribed, not prescribed)
- S
- Sleep
- Self-esteem
- Sex and Gender Identity
- Self-harm, Suicide Risk, Safety Risk
Note: Telling a young person, “Everything in this room is confidential unless there is a risk to you or somebody else…” is overcomplicated and likely to be heard as “Everything in this room is NOT confidential”.
Keep the confidentiality statement simple.
“Everything in this room is confidential.“