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Tarasoff Case Summary

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A fine line between therapeutic care and safety of the public is examined in the Tarasoff Case Study. In this case study, a man named Prosenjit Poddar killed a woman named Tatiana Tarasoff after he stated his intent of murder to his therapist. The therapist decided not to disclose this information to Tatiana or her family. He had Prosenjit detained by the police until he appeared to be talking rational when he was released. Prosenjit then persuaded Tatiana’s brother to share an apartment together in order to get closer to Tatiana. When Tatiana returned from a trip, he killed her (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001).
The primary ethical question that was raised during the case study was if the therapist should share information about Prosenjit’s intent …show more content…

The article argues that the therapist has a legal duty to the safety of this patient and the patient’s would-be victim (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001). If the therapist disclosed this information to the family, Tatiana likely would have lived.
The other side of the argument is that the therapist should keep confidentiality of the conversation. First, without the use of confidentiality in a therapy session, a patient may choice to avoid therapy. Second, confidentiality is essential for full disclosure and effective treatment. Third, keeping information confidential is essential for the client to maintain his trust with the therapist (Beauchamp & Childress, 2001).
One of the main guiding principles of Islam is the preservation of life (Gatrad & Sheikh, 2001). Someone that believes in Islam might not take the side of the therapist. Their focus is to maintain life, so if Prosenjit’s confidentiality has to be broken to do this, so be it. In Christianity, murder is viewed as a sin under the ten commandments. If the therapist chooses not to share the information about the murder plot to authorities, he essentially is causing her Tatiana to die. However, lying is also a sin in Christianity. This is why the therapist must explain to his patient that anything said here is confidential unless you state intent of harm to yourself or

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