The Impact of Mandated Reporting on the Therapeutic Process

Picking up the Pieces

"The book is a very positive contribution to a thoughtful understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of mandated reporting. Although the general thrust of the discussion leaves one frustrated with the reality of the unintended consequences of these laws meant to protect and/or benefit children, the authors also provide examples of how mental health providers have used these laws for positive effects. This book should be read by anyone in the business of treating children and families." --Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal Therapists and counselors often grapple with the requirements of mandated reporting laws, which are in part responsible for the veritable explosion of child maltreatment reports received by child protection during the last decade. Concerned with the impact of mandated reporting on the confidential psychotherapeutic relationship, the authors of this timely analysis address the challenges of balancing the law and the counseling process. Focused interviews with therapists and child protection workers as well as the results from a national mail survey of licensed clinical psychologists reflect reporting issues as manifested in real-life situations. Out of these experiences, the authors sculpt practical clinical strategies, an assessment of both the positive and negative effects of mandated reporting, and suggested considerations of practice and policy implications. Both therapists and child protection workers will find that this volume addresses the issues of reporting faced on a consistent basis. The Impact of Mandated Reporting on the Therapeutic Process also offers support and insight into complexities soon to be confronted by recent psychology, social work, and counseling graduates, advanced students, and interns. "Well written and interesting. . . . The questions of whether and how reports of suspected child maltreatment should be made are ones with which clinicians often struggle. . . . This study joins a remarkably sparse literature about the experiences of the various actors in the child protection system and about the role of mental health professionals within that system. I will be glad to have the book on my shelf." --Gary B. Melton, Director, Institute for Families in Society, University of South Carolina, Columbia "This is a timely work because the considerable costs and high proportion of unsubstantiated reports have created growing concerns in the field that mandatory child abuse reporting laws may be casting too wide a net. . . . The authors have produced a first-rate piece of work that performs a real service for the field. They illuminate the implications of mandated reporting in a way that students, therapists, and CPS workers will find tremendously useful. Policymakers will also benefit from these insights." --Neil Gilbert, School of Social Welfare, University of