Tarasoff in the Therapeutic Setting

Fulfilling the legal duty outlined by the Tarasoff decision in a therapeutic context encourages patients to make choices, to be involved in decision making, and to accept that they, not the therapist, have the ultimate responsibility for impulse control (5,6,7). Such an approach can both protect potential victims of violence and fulfill the therapist's obligation to maintain a therapeutic alliance with the patient. It may also lead to repudiation of threats, as demonstrated by the case reported here.