Menu
MENU
Login   


Practice, Research
What Would You Do?
December 27, 2011
When do suspicions about a client’s behavior become serious enough to warrant calling the authorities? An employee of Three Rivers Mental Health Solutions in Missoula, Montana is asking herself the same question. The employee was fired after reporting a client’s computer search history for child pornography to police.

The employee, concerned about two children the client babysat, became alarmed after noticing the client’s Web search for “female child nude” and “preteen nude girls.” The mental health worker approached her supervisor to report her concerns, but was advised not to report the client because the situation did not meet the criteria for notifying the authorities. Namely, because no actual child abuse was observed and there were no names or addresses of possible victims, the supervisor said the incident did not warrant calling the police and could be considered engaging in dual roles.

The employee was particularly worried about the safety of the children the client babysat, so she went against her supervisor’s advice and reported the client to police. The client was charged with sexually abusing a child after a DVD of child pornography was found in his home. The employee was consequently fired for her actions.

What do you think about this case? Was this a breach of patient confidentiality? Was the employee right for going to police? Should she have been fired for her actions? How would you have handled this situation?
child abuse, counseling, police, reporting behavior, therapy

Related Posts

  • PAR's Web search helps you find what you need!

    PAR's Web search helps you find what you need!
    PAR's new Web site is meant to help Customers like you learn about products that will aid your practice. An updated site search and a customizable Product Finder will help you find just what you need! To visit the site search, there is a box at the top of every page. Simply type in the terms you wish to search. To visit the Product Finder, click here. To view products in an alphabetized list, click here.

  • What is the PAR No-Risk Guarantee?

    PAR is proud of what we publish and we think you will be thrilled with all of our products. We never want you to be disappointed in anything you purchase. Therefore, we offer a no-risk guarantee on all of our print products. To receive a full refund, including the cost of ground/regular shipping and handling charges, return the merchandise in resalable condition with a copy of your invoice. After 45 days, shipping and handling charges cannot be refunded. Software returns must be made within 90 days. For more specific questions on returns, contact Customer Support.

  • What to do with old forms?

    Are outdated assessment forms cluttering your office? Many Customers are unsure what to do with unused or obsolete test protocols or materials from prior versions of an instrument. Rather than letting them collect dust in a bottom drawer, PAR recommends that you destroy and discard obsolete materials in a secure manner. If you or your institution doesn’t have access to a secure recycling program, we are happy to help! Simply e-mail custsup@parinc.com or call our Customer Support line at 1.800.331.8378 and a specialist will help you obtain a prepaid return label so we may discard the materials through our corporate recycling program. This program is available only for PAR proprietary products and to our Customers in the United States.  

  • What do employers really want?

    When it comes to finding the right candidates for a job, what qualities and skills are most important to today’s employers? The answers may surprise you. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), teamwork, problem solving, organizational skills, and effective communication all rated more highly than “technical knowledge related to the job” (Job Outlook 2014). NACE collected the survey data from 208 college recruiting professionals during the summer of 2013. Respondents rated each quality/skill on a five-point scale. “Ability to work in a team structure” had an average weighted rating of 4.55. Less highly rated—but still important—qualities included “ability to obtain and process information,” “ability to analyze quantitative data,” and “ability to sell or influence others.” How can employers evaluate a potential employee’s skills in areas that seem so subjective? Other than word-of-mouth recommendations, how can employers assess whether a candidate is a team player, an analytical thinker, or an influential leader? The new Working Styles Assessment™ (WSA™) from PAR measures 18 distinct workplace personality constructs (or “working styles”) such as initiative, concern for others, analytical ...

  • What Good is Mental Health Parity if No One Knows About it?

    While federal and state mental health parity laws have seemingly made access to mental health services easier for individuals, a new study released in the April issue of Psychiatric Services, the journal of the American Psychiatric Association, says that many of those surveyed were not aware of their extended benefits. Researchers studied the results of Timothy’s Law, New York’s state mental health parity law, by conducting telephone interviews with 54 employed individuals who had private insurance. Of the 54 respondents, 32 were adults diagnosed with mental illness and 22 were parents of children diagnosed with mental illness. Most of those surveyed had been informed of their insurance coverage benefits before the state parity law went into effect in 2007, but were not aware of the extended coverage as a result of the law. Individuals also reported that their health plan provided unclear or incomplete information about their benefits, they had more difficulty obtaining information on mental health benefits than on medical/surgical benefits, and they felt their insurance companies were managing their mental health care benefits more aggressively than their medical/surgical benefits. Those ...

  • A look inside PAR: What is Quality Assurance?

    PAR prides itself on creating assessment products that are both high in quality and in value. The process of taking an idea and molding it into a useful product involves the hard work and dedication of many people, and although no single effort or particular phase of development is more important than another, some roles are naturally more visible than others. One department Customers may not be familiar with, but certainly benefit from, is the unwavering diligence of Quality Assurance. Richard Brummer, MBA, M Ed IT, CSTE, Senior Manager of Quality Assurance (QA), helps shed some light on the role the QA department plays in the development of PAR products.   What is quality assurance? Quality assurance is a continuous, unrelenting focus on the processes of product development. Why is quality assurance important? QA works closely with each print and software product from its initial design all the way through postproduction support, giving feedback about usability and accuracy. “You cannot enhance a product’s quality during the final testing phases because that it too far down the road,” Brummer explains. “Quality begins at the very beginning.” QA’s ...

Categories

Archives