World of Psychology

Therapist Job Risks: Murdered by Your Client

By John M. Grohol, PsyD
Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Although it happens rarely, one of the professional risk factors on the job for a psychotherapist is violence from a client. Some therapists are more exposed to this possibility than others, such as those who work with poorer, urban populations (because the rates of violence are higher in these populations).

So it was with sadness that we read of a local therapist’s murder by her client, while visiting her client’s apartment. You might think that unusual — a therapist making a house call. Yet for professionals who work in family crisis centers in urban areas, they usually take on a wider role, sometimes similar to that of a social worker.

The organization the therapist worked for, the Lawrence FLEX program, helps keep families together, in their home:

The services are primarily aimed at keeping the children safely at home with their families, in their community, out of residential programs and away from hospital care

Although rare, we have to mark such occurrences because they remind us the risks and sacrifices that therapists make every day to provide psychotherapy services to their clients.

Our sympathies go out to the family of the therapist, Diruhi Mattian.



    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Feb 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2008). Therapist Job Risks: Murdered by Your Client. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 26, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/02/07/therapist-job-risks-murdered-by-your-client/

 

Recent Comments
  • anonymus: As someone with this disorder, prevention could have saved me so much heart ache. Poor relationships, years...
  • hart: Alisa, Counseling is the best way I’ve found. Having a caring network of friends is important as well,...
  • carl: Samuel I trust that you did not perceive my response as a threat or as a contradictory statement even at the...
  • Joel Hassman, MD: Oh, and by the way, Dr Pies, here is another retort to your demand people use their real names at...
  • CandidFrank65: Interesting article. I have been living in Trinidad since 1965. The fact is that East Indians are much...
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter



Find a Therapist


Users Online: 1
Join Us Now!