Clinical and legal issues in the family therapy record

The authors present guidelines for writing family therapy records that are not only clinically meaningful but also not unnecessarily damaging to a member of the family or the therapist in case the records are subpoenaed. They suggest that when deciding what to include in the record, the therapist should remember that those in treatment are both individuals and members of the family. They also recommend that a patient's right to privacy be safeguarded by omitting potentially damaging or embarrassing material from the record.