Citation

Kivisto AJ, Kivisto KL. Am. J. Psychother. 2018; 71(3): 110-120.

Affiliation

School of Psychological Sciences, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy)

DOI

10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20180034

PMID

30404562

Abstract

Although most psychologists will at some point be confronted with a client who engages in stalking, threatening, or harassing behavior (STHB), few feel prepared to manage these situations. In this article, the results of a survey of 112 psychologists who endorsed experiencing STHB are reported. Psychologists were asked about their perceptions of client motivations and personality pathology, frequency of use of 18 risk management responses, and perceived effectiveness of these responses. The effectiveness of risk management strategies differed by client level of personality organization and motivation for STHB. Some of the most commonly used risk management responses were among those most likely to result in adverse outcomes, particularly with certain types of clients. Efforts to develop empirically derived risk management strategies for clinicians confronted with STHB should integrate contextual variables, such as client personality and motivation.

Language: en

Keywords

Administration and Management; Clinical risk management; Dangerous patients; Harassment; Physician Issues; SWAP; Stalking of psychologists; Workplace violence