§ 1037.3 [Child Abuse Reporting Obligation Preserved]

Even if a counselor or therapist is required to keep conversations private, that privacy rule does not protect anyone from reporting child abuse. If a counselor learns about child abuse, they are still required by law to report it.

This means that confidentiality rules for things like domestic violence counseling do not cancel out California's child abuse reporting laws. Both rules apply at the same time.