Posted by jane d on November 9, 2011, at 20:35:13
In reply to Need Advice *****Likely Trigger*****, posted by TherapyGirl on November 9, 2011, at 16:56:16
Is she also going to call homeland security? If not, why not? It sounds like she has just as much reason to believe that this woman is a terrorist as an abuser.
I also wonder if this is really something she needs to report at all. I took a quick look at the laws of my state and there's a lot of emphasis on "reasonable" suspicion. Each state is a bit different and in the end it's not really what the law says anyway but how it's interpreted locally. So you probably really do need that lawywer. Especially since your boss isn't clear on the rules. It's something that will come up again unfortunately.
You might call your therapist and tell her you're consulting a lawyer and would appreciate her holding off until afterwards. Would it upset you too much if you asked and she refused?
If my therapist did that to me I'd be angry but I think I'd be even more upset about her judgment being bad about it being reportable. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable continuing with someone whose view of reality was so different from mine. I'd also be upset if she didn't try to warn me before we got into mandated reporter territory which would be a bit unfair since I am aware of the issues.
I have no first hand experience but I do have relatives who are reporters and a disabled family member who these laws are theoretically meant to protect so I've sort of paid attention to these rules over the years.
I'm sure you know all this but keep in mind each state has it's own rules you can't rely on anecdotes from other places, interpretation and enforcement policies change rapidly so last years guidelines may not be useful, that reason has very little to do with how it's interpretated, and that your career can depend on getting it right. And that sometimes you will therefore have no choice but to do the wrong thing for your client. Which stinks.
Finally I'm very sorry you're dealing with this but I'm also greatful to you for posting about it. It's a good reminder to me to be careful what I say to my therapist. That trust needs to have limits.
poster:jane d
thread:1002040
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20111017/msgs/1002061.html