Christine Pratt, chief executive of the National Bullying Helpline, which is not a member of the Youth Helpline Network, was reported as claiming that staff from Number 10 had been victims of bullying.
Pratt said she was compelled to go public with the information after Lord Mandelson denied that Gordon Brown was a bully in response to separate allegations.
But Emma Insley, chair of the Youth Helplines Network warned that Pratt's actions could deter "thousands of callers" from contacting helplines in a crisis.
"The principle of confidentiality is paramount to those who contact a helpline. Callers must be able to talk about issues that are concerning them without fear that information about them, including their location or workplace, will be revealed to the press," she warned.
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