Describe how the Jaffe decision serves to uphold and advance the notion that mental health is important to the public. Then, using evidence from the Lens (2000) article and other sources (if you wish), evaluate whether adjudication from the highest court in the United States has any real-world significance or application to the daily lives of the public.

Required Readings
1. Lens, V. (2000). (Links to an external site.) Protecting the confidentiality of the therapeutic relationship: Jaffe vs. Redmond. Social Work, 45(3), 273-276.
2. Herbert, P. (2002). (Links to an external site.) The duty to warn: A reconsideration and critique. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 30(3), 417-420.
3. Tarasoff ruling:
a) http://www.4lawschool.com/torts/tarasoff.shtml (Links to an external site.)
b) http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/cases/privacy/tarasoff.htm (Links to an external site.) (court filing)
4. NASW Code of Ethics (Links to an external site.): Focus on sections involving Confidentiality & Duty to Warn

1. Review the article on Jaffe v. Redmond, found in this module’s Readings.
2. Next, please address each of the below points and the Jaffe Big Idea Question regarding confidentiality in social work practice in your Reflection Corner.
Lens (2000) Article on Jaffe v. Redmond Case
1. Use evidence from the Lens (2000) article and other sources (if you wish) to explain how the Jaffe decision helped to cement social work as a legitimate profession.
2. Despite the information presented in Scalia’s dissent of the Jaffe ruling, why doesn’t the exclusion of facts in a court case or under other circumstances due to the privilege of a psychotherapist’s communications with a client endanger the public?
3. Describe how the Jaffe decision serves to uphold and advance the notion that mental health is important to the public. Then, using evidence from the Lens (2000) article and other sources (if you wish), evaluate whether adjudication from the highest court in the United States has any real-world significance or application to the daily lives of the public.
Jaffe Big Idea Question: Evaluate whether or not the Jaffe decision, as pointed out by Lens (2000, p. 275), is “a symbol of…how far [social work] has strayed from its original mission” of helping vulnerable individuals in society. Describe what the social work profession must do (i.e., what actions must be taken) to return to the original mission of the profession, and provide an analysis of why the profession may have changed its focus to more psychoanalytically based practice. In your answer, please use information that has been derived from your assigned readings and other sourccixes you may have consulted.

Last Completed Projects