Date & Location
Monday, April 18, 2022, 12:00 AM - Friday, May 31, 2024, 11:59 PM

Course Overview

This course offers an overview of the legal and ethical issues pertaining to a therapist’s duty to warn and protect in cases where a patient may commit violence. It begins with a discussion of Tatiana Tarasoff, which established legal precedent for a duty to warn. And then, using illustrative examples and interview material, it surveys how different states implement the duty to warn and protect, provides a framework for determining when and how to intervene with a potentially violent patient, and offers ethical guidance for balancing confidentiality with the safety of patients’ potential victims.

There was no commercial support used in the development of this educational activity.

Content last reviewed: May 30, 2023


Target Audience
Specialties - ALL SPECIALTIES

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:


  1. Describe the facts of the Tarasoff case.
  2. Explain the ethical foundations of the duty to maintain confidentiality and the duty to warn and protect.
  3. Distinguish among laws and policies pertaining the duty to warn and protect in different states.
  4. Make use of the framework of the Appelbaum method in cases where Tarasoff duties may apply.

Registration

There is no registration fee but you are still required to register.
In this activity, learners will engage with the content by moving through a series of brief video lectures with links to related readings, downloadable resources, and quizzes.

The Structure of the Course
  • Introduction to Tarasoff and the Duty to Warn (6:41)
  • Legal Differences by State (6:58)
  • The Appelbaum Model (3:01)
  • The Appelbaum Model, Case Studies (4:21)
  • A Conversation with Paul S. Appelbaum (13:46)
  • Confidentiality (3:35)
Each lecture includes a list of suggested readings that provide more detail about what was discussed. Links to external readings will lead you to an abstract or, if available, the full article.

Note that closed captions are available for all video segments.
 
Successful completion of this educational activity and receipt of certificate of credit includes achieving a minimum score of 80% on the post-test.

Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, Penn Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.  
 
Physicians: Penn Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 
Nurses : This program provides 1.0 NCPD Hours.

Credits
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), NCPD Hours (ANCC) (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance / Participation (1.00 hours)