Legal Briefs: Claims of Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege in Child Custody and Child Abuse Cases after Jaffee v. Redmond

This article will review the current state of claims of privilege in child custody, visitation, and child abuse litigation. After reviewing that case it will identify limitations that may not be well recognized within the psychologist community. It will focus on a number of judicial opinions which seem to represent current judicial thought on these matters. The issues involved are significant not only for child psychologists, but also for therapists who may primarily treat adults, as information learned during such treatment sessions, and notes about them, may be subject to disclosure.