A week ago, I reported on the murder of a therapist by her client, in a town down the road from where I live.

Sadly, a second murder has occurred, this time of a psychologist in her Upper East Side office in Manhattan, NYC. She was stabbed to death on Tuesday night.

The man is still on the loose and it’s not yet clear whether the male suspect was a patient of the psychologist who was murdered. Therapists being murdered by their clients is still a rare event, but two occurring within the course of a single week is even more rare.

Sadly, there are few reliable and valid predictors of violence, or those more likely prone to violence or murderous acts. And because most therapists work in relative isolation, it’s often difficult to consult with other therapists to check on possible signs and symptoms that might suggest someone’s future violence toward a therapist. Professionals who work with the victims of domestic abuse or violence are furthermore at risk from harm by the spouse of the victim they are counseling.

Read the AP article: Man Slashes NYC Psychologist to Death

Dr. John Grohol is the founder & CEO 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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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 13 Feb 2008
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