Yeah I agree with @joeylittle if it's anonymous data for statistics, that may be a requirement of the agency. The charity I work for has to supply this for government funding but anything else I would find totally unexceptable - and this should all have been set out when your T first saw you, in a contract at your assessment.
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What Can A Therapist Report?
- Post starter GWhizz
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- Post starter
- #14
Apparently it's specific to the organisation she works for. Which I find crazy because it means social services will be calling me about it if she does have to report it.
All I've done was confirm there was csa.
At my 1st meeting there was the general 'I have to make you aware that everything is confidential, except if you tell me you're a threat to yourself or others, or there's a child at risk...'. This was fine.
Then this wk she tells me she's shocked my old T or GP hadn't yet reported it. This is where I'm confused. She's assuming all agencies operate like hers. I know my own obligations as a healthcare professional and they are no more than what she 1st outlined at our initial meeting.
Why didn't she make that clear at our 1st meeting? I understand that a lot of her clients lack the capacity to protect or advocate for themselves. So maybe she's classing me with them out of habit or something. Maybe that's why she said to come back on Tuesday after she's spoken further with her boss on it (only after I made the point that I felt she had no right unless I requested, consented or lacked capacity due to disability or something).
All I've done was confirm there was csa.
At my 1st meeting there was the general 'I have to make you aware that everything is confidential, except if you tell me you're a threat to yourself or others, or there's a child at risk...'. This was fine.
Then this wk she tells me she's shocked my old T or GP hadn't yet reported it. This is where I'm confused. She's assuming all agencies operate like hers. I know my own obligations as a healthcare professional and they are no more than what she 1st outlined at our initial meeting.
Why didn't she make that clear at our 1st meeting? I understand that a lot of her clients lack the capacity to protect or advocate for themselves. So maybe she's classing me with them out of habit or something. Maybe that's why she said to come back on Tuesday after she's spoken further with her boss on it (only after I made the point that I felt she had no right unless I requested, consented or lacked capacity due to disability or something).
But why would social services have anything to do with it? As you say unless there are safeguarding issues it's not something they could do anything with. If every doctor and T was reporting every case of csa the police would be overrun. It's miles away from the policy the agency I work for runs and it makes no sense - it's not helping anyone and the idea if this is that it helps you - not gives you more problems !!!!
joeylittle
Sponsor
Agreed. That's just nonsensical all around. I really hope this can get worked out for you.
- Post starter
- #17
@Jane.l I know! She told me yesterday what happens if she reports it - that I'll get a call and I can then chose to cooperate with them or not...
I told her it would do more harm than good. I attempted to explain, how even hypothetically, if I was wanting to report it, I wouldn't have enough evidence at this stage. But she cut me off when I tried to say this. Just cut to the point about her professional obligations.
Sigh :banghead:
I told her it would do more harm than good. I attempted to explain, how even hypothetically, if I was wanting to report it, I wouldn't have enough evidence at this stage. But she cut me off when I tried to say this. Just cut to the point about her professional obligations.
Sigh :banghead:
But legally they don't have the professional obligation to report - so why would they??? Surely trust and their clients welfare come first - it's meant to be about empowering you to make decisions, partly to counteract the dis empowering csa where decisions are taken away from you - this is the opposite!!!
To me it sounds as though wires are crossed and that she and/or her organization are misinterpreting the guidelines somehow. Could it be possible this is just confusion and ineptitude on their part? I really just can't understand the logic otherwise. I would ask to see their written policy to see exactly how it's worded, particularly since she keeps falling back on this non-existent "professional obligation."
Danyel Lee Gaede
New Here
I thought my therapist could and was only obligated to report an abuser if they were still considered a threat to others.
But yesterday my T told me she could report them because 'they committed a crime'.
Is this true?
the answer is your T is full of it if you are from America the hippa law states they can only rport a future crime or posible future crime. if its abuse and on going then they can and must report it. But if its abuse you suffered in the past or even caused by you in the past no they can not unless its a capital offence like murder and even that gets touchy. tell the T you want to know if they are ruled by hippa law and if so to read it to you!
message meforthelink to look it up i can not post it here
But yesterday my T told me she could report them because 'they committed a crime'.
Is this true?
the answer is your T is full of it if you are from America the hippa law states they can only rport a future crime or posible future crime. if its abuse and on going then they can and must report it. But if its abuse you suffered in the past or even caused by you in the past no they can not unless its a capital offence like murder and even that gets touchy. tell the T you want to know if they are ruled by hippa law and if so to read it to you!
message meforthelink to look it up i can not post it here
The most disappointing aspect of my first meeting with my therapist was going in the first time with assurances of confidentiality (verbal) and walking out to a form I had to sign saying if I was a threat to myself or anyone else I could be reported to law enforcement. It was a new girl working up front and should have been signed going into the appt. Had I done that I would have known the ground rules. At this point though it really doesn't matter. I'm not a threat to me or anyone else and she has no idea who the other person is anyway. I'm in the US but I guess the answer here is yes you can be reported. Read everything you have to sign going into your first apt and ask what you will have to sign leaving.
- Post starter
- #22
Thanks @Hooper but my question wasn't whether they could report. It was what they could/couldn't. Reporting retrospective abuse is hugely different to reporting me as a threat.
@Danyel Lee Gaede I'm in Ireland. And from what I know, she's out of line. Bear in mind she works mainly with serious mental health issues where clients may lack capacity to protect themselves so I guess she's so used to that kind of client, maybe she isn't too sure on someone who's got full capacity, I dunno - maybe I'm making excuses for her.
But here's what I found from my research on it:
'Retrospective Disclosure by Adults
For most counsellors / psychotherapists this may be the most relevant section. This issue arises when an adult discloses abuse that occurred during his / her childhood. The section places an onus on the member to consider whether a child is at risk currently and if so to act upon that concern. The guidelines state that “If any risk is deemed to exist to a child who may be in contact with an alleged abuser, the counsellor / health professional should report the allegation to the HSE Children and Family Services without delay.”
It is important to note that these guidelines concern not only sexual abuse but also neglect, physical abuse and emotional abuse.
As mentioned above, the Children First Guidance are non-mandatory in a legal sense. However the formal adoption by the National Executive of the IACP of the guidelines places an obligation on members to act in accordance with those guidelines.'
Members would be wise to ensure that their contracts with clients refer to these obligations under the Children First Guidance.
@Danyel Lee Gaede I'm in Ireland. And from what I know, she's out of line. Bear in mind she works mainly with serious mental health issues where clients may lack capacity to protect themselves so I guess she's so used to that kind of client, maybe she isn't too sure on someone who's got full capacity, I dunno - maybe I'm making excuses for her.
But here's what I found from my research on it:
'Retrospective Disclosure by Adults
For most counsellors / psychotherapists this may be the most relevant section. This issue arises when an adult discloses abuse that occurred during his / her childhood. The section places an onus on the member to consider whether a child is at risk currently and if so to act upon that concern. The guidelines state that “If any risk is deemed to exist to a child who may be in contact with an alleged abuser, the counsellor / health professional should report the allegation to the HSE Children and Family Services without delay.”
It is important to note that these guidelines concern not only sexual abuse but also neglect, physical abuse and emotional abuse.
As mentioned above, the Children First Guidance are non-mandatory in a legal sense. However the formal adoption by the National Executive of the IACP of the guidelines places an obligation on members to act in accordance with those guidelines.'
Members would be wise to ensure that their contracts with clients refer to these obligations under the Children First Guidance.
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