The Therapist Thrival Guide 73. Do Therapists Need to Report Murder Confessions?
It's a true crime crossover episode! We brought on attorney Suzette Schommer to discuss the Menendez brothers episode and what the therapist in this case did wrong, plus:
- If a client confesses a murder (or another crime) to their therapist, is it true that the therapist bound by confidentiality and cannot tell anyone?
- What does "duty to warn" mean-- who do you warn and in what situations must you do this?
- In the Monsters series (and in real life), the therapist breaks confidentiality by telling his girlfriend (and former client) about the confession. What should he have done instead?
- Advice to therapists if they encounter this.
OUR HOST:
Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for several years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, case manager, and the Director of Brand Content at Ellie Mental Health. Follow her on LinkedIn.
The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.
Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and has expanded to an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021.