How do you know when someone in mental health should step aside for awhile due to mental health reasons? How do you assess this? What questions could I ask?
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How do you know when someone in mental health should step aside for awhile due to mental health reasons? How do you assess this? What questions could I ask?
I am not evaluating this individual. This is a peer. I’m concerned that her personal problems may be affecting her ability to work.
Can report to therapy board and let them decide. Client safety is paramountWe are masters level providers. She has had three recent suicide attempts and has an eating disorder. She does therapy with adolescents. I’m not sure how to know if she is impaired. I’ve suggested she get therapy. I also told her to take a leave of absence which offended her.
I've often wondered, how does a psychologist (or mental health professional) go about documenting that they have in fact taken that initial step to reach out to the clinician first? Is it just taken at face value by the respective board?
It is all over Facebook, so there’s that.
It's really important here to distinguish between the presence of a mental or physical illness and actual impairment of practice. Plenty of people with considerable illnesses can continue to function very well at work.
That’s really why I asked the question. I don’t know how to determine whether her personal issues represent impairment.
Most boards are a bunch of dummies.
Realistically, that’s not your problem. Your state and counselors board has some rules about that. Look them up. I’m guessing it’s a “see something , say something” scenario, like every other mandated reporter scenario. You are reporting a concern, not reporting an impairment. The board and its agents (including the professional doing the ffd) are responsible for determine if there is impairment.
Do the Nancy Grace, “I’m asking if this reportedly suicidal counselor might be impaired!” I’m not saying he/she is! I’m just asking questions!”.
it’s stupid, but that technique has been vetted by many many many Ivy League attorneys.
I think that’s why @PsyDr said realistically. Theoretically, definitely a problem. Realistically, may be not.It actually is your problem if you know or suspect an impaired professional could be harming clients. You need to act. How and when and where are not always easy questions to answer. But it most certainly is our ethical responsibility to protect patients from harm.
That's not what he said. His point is that determining impairment isn't their problem, reporting the issue is.It actually is your problem if you know or suspect an impaired professional could be harming clients. You need to act. How and when and where are not always easy questions to answer. But it most certainly is our ethical responsibility to protect patients from harm.
It actually is your problem if you know or suspect an impaired professional could be harming clients. You need to act. How and when and where are not always easy questions to answer. But it most certainly is our ethical responsibility to protect patients from harm.
Oh really? Prove there is harm. Harm. Not substandard care. Not a lack of help. Making someone worse. Worse than the natural history of the diagnosis. Prove that the specific professional service are empirically capable of causing said harm. Now prove that this proposed diagnosis the professional suffers from is capable of causing said harm. Now prove that this absolutely knew that this was happening or that you had material knowledge that this was happening.
or you could just make an uneducated guess using terms you don’t know about.
That's not what he said. His point is that determining impairment isn't their problem, reporting the issue is.
I was pointing out that if you suspect patients are being harmed, it is your responsibility to take reasonable steps to determine if that is the case. How that is done will vary and be determined by many factors. It may be that the only thing that happens is that one contacts a supervisor or HR or a licensing board. Or it may be that you consult with colleagues and decide on no further action. Those are all examples of doing something.
Doing nothing is not an acceptable course of action.