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.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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Holistic Health and Healing Information » Blog Archive (2/7/2008)

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From Psych Central's World of Psychology:
Second Therapist Murdered Within the Week - World of Psychology (2/13/2008)

» Thou shalt not murder thy therapist Millennial Mind: Helping young adults navigate the world of mental illness (2/14/2008)

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Feb 2008
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