Legal question

If I go to my therapist and I tell her something happened and it can be considered a crime is she at liberty to report it??

Or does she have to keep it to herself because of patient/therapist confidentiality?

 

Good Morning,

To the best of my knowledge, what a therapist is required to report can vary from state to state and you would need to know your state laws to answer this question. Usually telling is limited to immediate threats of self harm or harm to others or cases of child abuse are required to be reported. I would suggest you ask you therapist what  is mandatory to report by law and he/she is required to tell you.

I am sure you will receive posts from others re you question.

Kindly,

Kitt

It may not be a question of law but of ethics. A therapist can lose their license for a breach of ethics. Either way, the answer should be pretty easy to find on the internet. Look up "psychotherapy confidentiality Texas" on Google, and obviously replace "Texas" with your state.

Thanks for your help, guys, and gals... I ended up telling my therapist because the issue was bothering me that much... Something happened between my daughter and step son, and I think it may have been a crime. I was so upset I just ended up blurting things out and in the end she told me she would refer me to a family councelor who could better help me. She didnt seem to be acting as if she were going to make a phone call after I left and since I havent heard anything and no ones shone up at my door Im assuming that she hasnt said anything to anyone. I was so worried before the apt that i almost didnt go.. but decided getting it out was more important to me. I do so appreciate your help and thoughts... thanks again to everyone.

Thanks for the info Fugs... I appreciate it! I guess she must not have reported me. about three years ago my step son sexually assaulted my daughter. She told me when she was home for thanksgiving break, and he shows up unexpectedly and she got upset and wanted to leave. She hadnt seen him in the last few years, and never said anything to me because her real father has nothing to do with her, and she considers her step dad, my husband, to be her real father since hes raised her since she was 7. She was afraid that if she said anything that my husband and i would get divorced. she loves him very much and doesnt want to lose her "dad." I assured her I wasnt going to divorce him but that I wish she would have told me years ago. turns out my step son threatened her with violence and making his dad and I "break up" and that shed never be able to see my husband again. She was 16 and he was 18. This is why I say its a crime. I think its statutory rape, and im furious at my step son. I told my husband even though she begged me not to, and he was so upset he cried. now hes in a tough situation. He loves his son, and my daughter and s completely lost as to what to do. My therapist told me that she suggests we go to family counciling, but im worried my step son is going to deny the whole thing anyways. I was raped when I was 16, and i never told my parents until years after either because i was threatened with a knife. now its gone full circle.

Thanks for all your support and answers. I truely appreciate any feedback.

Hey Just_a_girl,

I'm sorry to hear about what happened. That's a lot to handle. The first thing I would say is that it's great that your daughter opened up to you in spite of the threat she received from her step-brother. That was very brave of her. I'm also sorry to hear about what happened to you (incidentally also at 16). But the silver lining is that you can relate to and appreciate what she's going through. Nobody wants to be sexually assaulted or raped, but your own experience has the potential to go a long way towards helping your daughter know that she's not alone, that she can have a healthy future, and hopefully towards bringing the two of you closer together.

As far as your husband... has he spoken with your daughter about this? I think it would really help if he could say to her "yes, he's my son and I love him - but you're my daughter. I love you too, and you're not going to lose me because of this. We're a family and we'll get through this together".

There are places (counseling agencies) that specialize in sexual abuse. I would suggest seeing if you can find one in your area, even if not your immediate area, as opposed to simply a private practicing family therapist (assuming that the drive is reasonable). Agencies such as these are very familiar with complex family situations and work both with survivors of sexual abuse as well as those who have committed sexually abusive acts. This would in my opinion, be an ideal arrangement as they could address your daughter individually, your stepson individually, the relationship between your daughter and stepson, your husband and stepson, your husband and yourself, your stepson and yourself, and the family as a whole unit as well as the actual sexual abuse component from both sides.

It won't be quick and it won't be simple... but your family can overcome this. Your daughter can heal her emotional wounds and your stepson can change.