Duty to Warn: No One Commits a Crime Without Thinking About It First
As a frontline clinician who specializes in the treatment of personality disorders, managing clients with violent tendencies is a central concern. Some personality disorders are at a higher likelihood to harm others and put their mental health provider at risk, but not all personality disorders or those with mental illness are going to be violent and raise the "duty to warn" question.
Because the issue of duty to warn is complex, it's important to review and understand the specific requirements for the state you practice in. And while duty to warn requirements may vary, the steps to take to protect yourself to manage and avoid in-session violence and threats are universal.
It does not matter if you are a novel or seasoned therapist, threat identifiers are not always searchlights, but often times tiny flashlights.
When the issues of in-session violence and threats do arise; are you prepared? In my book, Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic, & Histrionic Workbook: Treatment Strategies for Cluster B Personality Disorders, I developed steps and strategies to keep you, your clients, and others safe. I invite you to learn about some of my personal experiences with duty to warn by watching the video below, and downloading the worksheet How to Manage and Avoid In-Session Violence and Threats.
Download the Worksheet:
How to Manage and Avoid In-Session Violence and Threats
Daniel J. Fox, Ph.D., has been treating and specializing in the treatment and assessment of individuals with personality disorders for the last 14 years in the state and federal prison system, universities, and in private practice. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas and has published several articles on personality, ethics, and neurofeedback. He is the author of The Clinician’s Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Personality Disorders. His specialty areas include personality disorders, ethics, and neurofeedback.
Daniel J. Fox, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in Texas, international speaker, and multiple-award winning author. He has been specializing in the treatment and assessment of individuals with personality disorders for over 20 years in the state and federal prison system, universities, and in private practice. His specialty areas include personality disorders, ethics, burnout prevention, and emotional intelligence. He has published several articles and books in these areas and is the author of the award-winning Narcissistic Personality Disorder Toolbox, The Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Personality Disorders, the award-winning Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic and Histrionic Workbook: Treatment strategies for Cluster B Personality Disorders, The Borderline Personality Disorder Workbook, and Complex Borderline Personality Disorder.
Dr. Fox has been teaching and supervising students for over 20 years at various universities across the United States, some of which include West Virginia University, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and Florida State University. He works in the federal prison system, is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Houston and maintains a private practice that specializes in the assessment and treatment of individuals with complex psychopathology and personality disorders. Dr. Fox has given numerous workshops and seminars on ethics and personality disorders, personality disorders and crime, treatment solutions for working with clients along the antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and histrionic personality spectrum, emotional intelligence, managing mental health within the prison system, and others. Dr. Fox maintains a website of various treatment interventions focused on working with and attenuating the symptomatology related to individuals along with the antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and histrionic personality spectrum (www.drdfox.com).
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Daniel Fox maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with the University of Houston. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Daniel Fox receives a speaking honorarium, recording and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Daniel Fox is an Editor/Reviewer with Prentice Hall and Worth Publishers.
