Can I tell my therapist I want to hurt people?

Merely talking about wanting to kill someone or expressing the idea that you want your life to end isn’t typically enough to prompt a mental health professional to take steps to have a patient committed for safety reasons, says Eileen Kennedy-Moore, a clinical psychologist based in Princeton, New Jersey.

Do therapists have to report homicidal thoughts?

A therapist may be forced to report information disclosed by the patient if a patient reveals their intent to harm someone else. “If a therapist is aware or believes that someone is going to do something like that, they will need to report.

Can you tell your psychiatrist you killed someone?

In the US, however, the answer is usually no. Due to confidentiality, a therapist may not generally disclose the contents of a therapy session with the police, even if the client has admitted to committing a crime.

What can a therapist say in court?

Licensed therapists are mandated reporters, so if issues involving suicide, homicide, the threat to harm yourself or others, or child or domestic abuse are disclosed in therapy, they are required to report them to the proper authorities and may testify to them in court.

Can a therapist call the police?

Any disclosures about a patient made by a therapist without patient consent will be rare. Disclosure by a patient of historic sexual abuse is unlikely to fall into the category of discloseable information; a present, real and imminent threat to carry out a fatal shooting may well justify a call to the police.

Can your therapist get mad at you?

It takes a serious boundary violation for a therapist to actually get legitimately angry at you. In that case, the therapist will most likely model a response that includes a reasonable and moderated level of protective energy that very well might feel like anger to you.

What happens if a therapist threatens to kill a patient?

“If a therapist fails to take reasonable steps to protect the intended victim from harm, he or she may be liable to the intended victim or his family if the patient acts on the threat,” Reischer said. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Why don’t you want to tell your therapist You’re considering suicide?

Photo used with permission from JDS Architects. You may be considering suicide and yet not want to tell a therapist, because you fear landing in a mental hospital.

Is it possible for a patient to want to kill someone?

However, this is not as simple as a patient saying simply they “would like to kill someone,” according to Jessica Nicolosi, a clinical psychologist in Rockland County, New York. There has to be intent plus a specific identifiable party who may be threatened.

What happens if I tell my therapist that I am self harming?

In the case you do reveal that you are self harming, they will assess you for suicidal tendencies in order to protect your own safety. If you are indeed suicidal, then your parents may be called in to ensure that nothing awry takes place. If not, then the therapist is obliged to keep your sessions confidential.