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Vermont psychologists
offer safety tips
(April 2008
Issue)
By Phyllis Hanlon
While violence toward psychologists occurs rarely, Sandra K. Howell,
M.S., president of the Vermont Psychological Association (VPA),
cautions area psychologists not to be complacent. "In the more rural
parts of New England, we have the illusion of safety because it's
so beautiful. We assume that these horrific events will take place
in cities - but not here…yet they do. They can happen anywhere,"
she says.
A group of psychologists from the VPA offers their thoughts on
personal safety recommendations:
- Identify vulnerable areas and develop a security plan to
address those vulnerabilities. Through supervision and peer
consultation in an interview format, a psychologist can identify
personal thoughts, fears, and/or areas of vulnerability and then
devise an appropriate security plan.
- Practice within your competency and strive to determine your
clients' most important issues. Make sure you know your clients;
match their therapeutic needs to your skills. In some cases, a
team or agency approach may best address a client's specific needs.
- Listen to your gut. A client's subtle cues, such as a
gradual increase in verbal aggression, a lack of insight, a more
confrontational manner and expressions or body language that
foster discomfort for the therapist, should signal caution. Such
behavior may warrant the evaluation of "a goodness of fit between
the client's needs and what the office may offer." Careful screening
of new clients could help determine if the psychologist should
accept the case. "If we don't feel safe, we have to take responsibility
to state that. If not, we may project those fears and ultimately
not serve the individual well."
- Create a security plan. Exercise caution when leaving
the office after hours. Try to avoid navigating the parking lot
or garage alone. If you must work alone at night, turn on lights
to give the impression that others are present. When conducting
court-ordered therapy, install a touch alarm.
New Hampshire psychologist, Eric Mart, Ph.D., offers one last thought:
having a dog offers a double benefit - he becomes a part of therapy
in some cases and usually provides a good deterrent for potentially
dangerous behavior.
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