If a 12 year old girl tells her Therapist that she as been molested my her stepfather, is the therapi required

Question

to notify DYFS or is it patient/doctor confidentiality? FYI, the therapist accused the girl of lying & didn't beleive her, and never reported it. Can she sue this therapist?

Answer 1

Okay well I know that if you threaten to kill yourself a therapist has to put you in the hospital on watch....so nothing is really as "confidential" as they say it is...so I'm going to guess by law he has to.

And that's a sucky therapist because therapist are not supposed to job. Check to see if he really has a license...hahaha. They go into that profession to HELP, NOT to judge.

Answer 2

  SUE HIM!!! He probally said she lying cause he didn't want to all the stuff to get her therapy, poor thing, you should really sue him NOW!

Answer 3

The answer is no, they are not required. Many children say such outlandish behavior to get a rise out of the therapist and it's often not true. Your therapist had reason to not believe you as they might have seen other untruth's. It's common for 12 year olds to lie or to say things to harm their parents during such sessions. There is also a confidentiality law that prevents them from telling.

I'm sorry if it was true and you finally told someone and they didn't listen. It happens. People make mistakes in life. There's no way to sue the therapist. You could go and try to have your step father arrested though and put in prison for what he did. But only if it's absolutely true. If it were to be false that would make you a horrible person. Only if it's true should you do such a thing.

It could be too late to charge him now, but it would keep the police informed in case another girl came forward. Then your case would be relevent.

I wish you the best. I don't want to sound as if i don't believe you. I would believe you if you told me so. But one must keep an open mind. There were 5 girls just three years ago, that all tried to claim their coach molested them. Turned out they planned it to get back at him and it was never true. How horrible is that? It's the only reason i put in that it has to be true. But i do believe you.  

Answer 4

Yes. All fifty states have what's called a "Mandatory Reporting Law," wherein mental health professionals, teachers, and anyone working with juveniles would be required to report any type of sexual abuse situation such as  the one you described. Here's a site for more specific info:

http://www.smith-lawfirm.com/mandatory_r...

If the therapist doesn't believe her client, first of all, she's not a good therapist. This young girl has the right to be believed if she tells someone in a position of authority that she is being abused. It violates the trust relationship between therapist and client if the therapist is undermining what her client is telling her.

To sue this therapist might not be the best option, though I am certainly no authority on this subject. However, there may be other options to pursue, such as reporting the therapist to her licensing board.

If the girl and her parents or legal guardian wish to report the abuse to local authorities, I would encourage doing so. It can be a difficult and lengthy process, so this would be at the discretion of all parties involved.

In the interim. I would consider finding another therapist. This young girl is feeling vulnerable enough as it is.

Answer 5

I am not sure about that but you should contact a lawyer about it.  They would know for sure.

Answer 6

yes.

Answer 7

If a crime is being committed against a minor, you're obligated to notify the authorities.

Answer 8

he sounds like an idiot...if he was any kind of therapist...he would have believed her and reported it, he's required to by law...