Re: My personal take on this...

that's good to hear. that's how it is where i live.

i hear a lot of horror stories about mandatory reporting and other kinds of outing by mental health professionals. i suspect there are many therapists who don't understand the reporting laws themselves, and take a punitive attitude to paedophiles and are only too happy to ruin their lives. they are obviously the ones to avoid.

client confidentiality is protected here in the case of admission to any but the most serious crimes (typically murder). as i understand it, a clients's confidentiality would remain protected even if they admitted to a history of downloading child porn or sexual activity with a minor. if they expressed an intention to repeat that behaviour, other agencies might be informed, but the client has to warned about this, and informed if things they say might allow it.

i've had some very bad experiences with therapists, but also some very good ones. life changing really. my impression is that there are many people out there, therapists included, who feel considerable empathy for paedophiles and the predicament they are in. they just don't say too much about it in public.