A client tells their therapist that they wish someone was dead. How does a therapist ethically and legally handle this situation? Therapists have legal and ethical responsibilities to both their clients and greater society. Many mental health professionals face challenges determining the best course of action when clients make threats towards others. This workshop will present a history of duty to warn laws and an examination of Tarasoff Rule. Case vignettes will illustrate various situations that therapists may encounter when clients are expressing threats, violence, or harm to others. Learners will be provided with concrete and ethically sound practices to increase their confidence in managing duty to warn dilemmas.

Objectives:

• Identify relevant state law and professional ethics regarding duty to warn responsibilities
• Discover methods of assessing and intervening with potential duty to warn concerns and client potential for violence
• Demonstrate increased confidence in mitigating client violence and following ethical and legal mandates regarding duty to warn

Presenter:

Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Missouri and Kansas with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. She has held clinical positions as an outpatient and in-home therapist and clinical supervisor. Diane was an Adjunct Professor of Social Work for 10 years at The University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare and a Field Liaison and Field Instructor. She has also held administrative positions as a program Director and Coordinator. Diane is a frequent local and national trainer on a wide variety of mental health and workplace development topics with clinicians and corporations. Diane is most passionate about providing quality professional development to clinicians, employees, and leaders. For fun, Diane loves to spoil her four Dachshunds and rock out to 80’s music.