Running head: A COMPARISON 1
A Comparison and Contrast of Two Court Rulings
Meridith-Ann Beam
Walden University
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A COMPARISON
A Comparison and Contrast of Two Court Rulings
Court decisions can and will affect the counseling profession. Rules, ethical rulings, and
the emotional toll that the court decision has on an individual and or the entire family can have
lasting effects. When a counselor is faced with a court document to testify, ethical implications
and breech of continentality comes into question. Court decisions and rulings alter how a
counselor approaches a client in the counseling profession and how we respond to the
information that a client shares with us.
A Comparison and Contrast of the Court Decisions
In the case ruling of Tarasoff vs. Regents of the University of California, the family of Tatiana
Tarasoff sued the psychologist and other officials that were treating the individual that had killed
her, stating that she should have been warned of the threats against her (Edwards, 2013). When a
counselor or psychologist is told information from their client that they have feelings to harm
themselves or others, they have an ethical obligation to report these feelings to their supervisor
and other appropriate officials. In the case of Tarasoff vs. Regents of the University of California,
the family thought the counselor should have warned the individual that the threats had been
made against to protect herself, but no officials informed her of these threats (Edwards, 2013).
Tarasoff vs. Regents of the University of California, the California Supreme Court decided
that it is the counselors ethical responsibility to warn the potential victim if the threat against
them is credible (Edwards, 2013). After this ruling, many other states decided to put forth similar
laws to protect future victims from losing their life. Having new court rulings that determine how
a therapist is to proceed when presented with information about their client harming other [Show Less]