How can mental health professionals serve on a threat assessment team if they are obligated to protect confidentiality?
Deisinger: A licensed mental health professional is a key resource for a threat assessment and management program. Such a professional can offer significant insights that may aid threat assessors in understanding the behavior of mentally ill or emotionally disturbed persons and anticipating likely responses to interventions or further stressors. Most mental health professionals have extensive experience in dealing with emotional crises and can recommend interventions to help de-escalate a person in crisis. They are also likely aware of referral resources on campus and in the community that may be helpful support systems for the person of concern. Confidentiality applies to situations where a person is a client/patient being served by the team’s mental health consultant (or the agency in which the professional is employed). Even in those circumstances, the mental health professional can still provide general consultation to the team about mental health issues, resources, intervention ap
