Video Transcript: Confidentiality in a Team Setting

Confidentiality in a Team Setting: What You Can Promise and What You Can’t

Hi, I am Haley, a Christian Leaders Institute presenter…

In sports chaplaincy, trust is your currency. And confidentiality is one of the fastest ways to build—or destroy—trust.

But here is the challenge: team environments are not private environments. Coaches, parents, trainers, and administrators are part of the system. People talk. People speculate. And sometimes leaders ask direct questions.

So in this video, we will clarify what you can promise, what you cannot promise, and how to say it in a way that protects dignity and follows policy.

1) The trust rule: protect dignity, avoid gossip

Athletes and coaches open up when they believe two things:

1. You won’t embarrass them.

2. You won’t use their story for access or influence.

A chaplain’s credibility grows when you refuse gossip and never “trade information” to get closer to leadership.

“A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” (Proverbs 11:13, WEB)

2) What confidentiality means in chaplaincy

In practical terms, confidentiality means:

• you don’t repeat personal information casually,

• you don’t share prayer requests as “news,”

• you don’t hint or imply what someone told you,

• you don’t become a messenger between athletes and coaches.

Your posture is: I protect people. I don’t manage them.

3) What you can promise (most of the time)

You can usually promise something like:

• “I will keep what you share private.”

• “I don’t repeat personal stories.”

• “I don’t gossip.”

That language builds trust without being absolute.

4) What you cannot promise (never promise secrecy)

There are situations where confidentiality has limits, especially in sports settings with minors or institutional policies:

• harm to self or others,

• abuse or exploitation,

• threats or violence,

• hazing and unsafe conduct,

• situations where mandatory reporting applies,

• and any policy-driven safeguarding requirement.

In those cases, you must get help through the proper channels.

A policy-aware phrase is:

• “I care about you, and I keep things private. But if someone is being harmed or unsafe, I can’t keep that secret. I have to help you get the right support.”

5) The “team setting” complication: people will ask

In athletics, leaders may ask questions like:

• “Is he okay?”

• “What’s going on with her?”

• “Did you hear anything?”

• “Should we be worried?”

• “What did he say after practice?”

Your best response is calm and consistent:

• “I care about him, but I’m not able to share personal conversations.”

• “If there is a safety concern, I’ll follow the proper process.”

• “I can help encourage him to talk with you directly.”

That keeps you trustworthy without becoming oppositional.

6) What not to do

• Don’t hint: “Well, I can’t say, but…”

• Don’t share prayer requests that reveal personal details.

• Don’t become the coach’s information source.

• Don’t use confidentiality as power.

• Don’t keep secrets that involve harm or safety risk.

Closing

Confidentiality is not just a rule. It is a way you love people.
When you protect dignity, you build trust.
When you follow policy, you protect the program.
And when you stay consistent, you become a safe presence in a high-pressure world.