Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse: Considerations and Guidelines for Mental Health Counselors

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Mandated Reporting ◽  
Mandated Reporters

Mental health counselors serve as mandated reporters of child abuse. Considerations for practice for clinical mental health counselors when reporting child abuse are reviewed. Issues central to the decision to report are discussed, as well as possible outcomes of the report. The nature of suspecting abuse rather than proving abuse is reviewed, as are resistance to reporting and suggestions for how to counter resistance. Counseling techniques to use in session when abuse is suspected are discussed, as are the clinical implications in the aftermath of a report. Online resources related to child abuse are provided.

Mandated Child Abuse Reporting in a Multicultural Environment

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan C. Dombrowski ◽  
Karen L. Gischlar ◽  
Amanda Clinton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mandated Reporting ◽  
Abuse Reporting ◽  
Child Abuse Reporting ◽  
Multicultural Environment ◽  
Reporting Laws

The abuse and neglect of children has been linked to their cognitive, academic, psychological, and behavioral demise. As a result of the deleterious effects that abuse can have on children’s development and well-being, all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, have enacted child abuse reporting laws for mental health professionals. These laws typically require a mandated child abuse report when child maltreatment has been reasonably suspected. Although mandated child abuse reporting laws appear straight-forward, mandated reporting often entails complex and nuanced decision-making, particularly when a child is from a diverse cultural background. Thus, this article offers a discussion for mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers) regarding mandated child abuse reporting within a multicultural environment.

Hotline Tip to Probable Cause: Filling the Gap Between Suspicion and Physical Abuse Findings for Mandated Reporters

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Dreuth Zeman
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Child Protective Services ◽  
Case Managers ◽  
Mandated Reporting ◽  
Protective Services ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
The Family ◽  
State Child ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Mandated Reporters

Almost all care managers are mandated reporters and as such they are responsible for reporting suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to state child protective services. Experienced case managers understand that making a call to an abuse hotline does not guarantee that the family or child will get the help that they believe will reduce the child’s risk of abuse. This article addresses legal and policy aspects of reporting child maltreatment and will include an examination of the policies on mandated reporting and professional and legal definitions of abuse. It will define the fundamental elements of parents’ rights and will demonstrate how those rights interface with governments’ responsibilities to protect children. It will also identify ways in which care managers can enhance child risk assessments and the results of reporting suspected child abuse through planning, facilitation, outcome, and professional development.

Forgiveness and Forgetting: Clinical Implications for Mental Health Counselors

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Cosgrove ◽  
Varda Konstam
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Meaning Systems ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

Although mental health professionals have attempted to specify the meaning of forgiveness, lack of consensus exists. Despite the lack of consensus over the meaning of forgiveness, there is agreement that forgiving is not forgetting or pardoning. However, the relationship between forgiving and forgetting has been undertheorized, and as a result, this relationship has not been empirically investigated. In this paper, we suggest that it would be fruitful to assess the meaning systems individuals associate with the definition of forgiveness. Focusing on the lived experience of individuals may help researchers and counselors avoid unhelpful dichotomizations such as "authentic vs. inauthentic" forgiveness. Implications for both research and mental health counseling are discussed.

scholarly journals Street triage services in England: service models, national provision and the opinions of police

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 253-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abirami Kirubarajan ◽  
Stephen Puntis ◽  
Devon Perfect ◽  
Marc Tarbit ◽  
Mary Buckman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Modes Of Operation ◽  
Specialist Services ◽  
Service Models ◽  
The Law ◽  
Core Part

Aims and methodStreet triage services are increasingly common and part of standard responses to mental health crises in the community, but little is understood about them. We conducted a national survey of mental health trusts to gather detailed information regarding street triage services alongside a survey of Thames Valley police officers to ascertain their views and experiences.ResultsTriage services are available in most areas of the country and are growing in scope. There is wide variation in levels of funding and modes of operation, including hours covered. Police officers from our survey overwhelmingly support such services and would like to see them expanded.Clinical implicationsMental health crises now form a core part of policing and there are compelling reasons for the support of specialist services. Recent changes to the law have heightened this need, with a requirement for specialist input before a Section 136 is enacted. Those who have experienced triage services report it as less stigmatising and traumatic than a traditional approach, but there remains little evidence on which to base decisions.Declaration of interestNone.

Using a Person-Centered Approach to Identify Patterns of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse in Women: Associations With Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755952110316
Author(s):  
Bre’Anna L. Free ◽  
Alexandra J. Lipinski ◽  
Rivian K. Lewin ◽  
Rimsha Majeed ◽  
Rebecca J. Zakarian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mental Health Conditions ◽  
Class Differences

Patterns of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and child abuse (CA) were explored in 467 women seeking psychological assistance following IPV. Using latent class analysis, three classes were obtained: women who had experienced physical, sexual, and psychological IPV, along with childhood physical and sexual abuse (IPV + CA; 38.5%); women who had experienced physical, sexual, and psychological IPV only (IPV/no CA; 52.9%); and women who had experienced psychological IPV only (Psych IPV only; 8.6%). Associations of class membership with severity of specific mental health conditions were examined, along with the number of diagnosed conditions. Significant between-class differences were noted on severity of IPV-related posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive disorders, alcohol and substance use disorders, and social phobia. Classes also differed significantly on the number of mental health conditions. Understanding patterns of betrayal-based trauma (e.g., IPV and CA) can inform care within agencies that serve IPV survivors by highlighting individuals at-risk for mental health conditions.

Protecting privacy to protect mental health: the new ethical imperative

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 604-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Aboujaoude
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Electronic Medical Records ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Psychological Development ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Patient Relationship ◽  
Ethical Imperative ◽  
The Individual

Confidentiality is a central bioethical principle governing the provider–patient relationship. Dating back to Hippocrates, new laws have interpreted it for the age of precision medicine and electronic medical records. This is where the discussion of privacy and technology often ends in the scientific health literature when Internet-related technologies have made privacy a much more complex challenge with broad psychological and clinical implications. Beyond the recognised moral duty to protect patients’ health information, clinicians should now advocate a basic right to privacy as a means to safeguard psychological health. The article reviews empirical research into the functions of privacy, the implications for psychological development and the resigned sentiment taking hold regarding the ability to control personal data. The article concludes with a call for legislative, educational and research steps to readjust the equilibrium between the individual and ‘Big Data’.

scholarly journals Associations among child abuse, mental health, and epigenetic modifications in the proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC): A study with children in Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4pt2) ◽  
pp. 1401-1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Hecker ◽  
Karl M. Radtke ◽  
Katharin Hermenau ◽  
Andreas Papassotiropoulos ◽  
Thomas Elbert
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Epigenetic Modifications ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Low Exposure ◽  
Altered Gene

AbstractChild abuse is associated with a number of emotional and behavioral problems. Nevertheless, it has been argued that these adverse consequences may not hold for societies in which many of the specific acts of abuse are culturally normed. Epigenetic modifications in the genes of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis may provide a potential mechanism translating abuse into altered gene expression, which subsequently results in behavioral changes. Our investigation took place in Tanzania, a society in which many forms of abuse are commonly employed as disciplinary methods. We included 35 children with high exposure and compared them to 25 children with low exposure. Extreme group comparisons revealed that children with high exposure reported more mental health problems. Child abuse was associated with differential methylation in the proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC), measured both in saliva and in blood. Hierarchical clustering based on the methylation of the POMC gene found two distinct clusters. These corresponded with children's self-reported abuse, with two-thirds of the children allocated into their respective group. Our results emphasize the consequences of child abuse based on both molecular and behavioral grounds, providing further evidence that acts of abuse affect children, even when culturally acceptable. Furthermore, on a molecular level, our findings strengthen the credibility of children's self-reports.

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