Mrs. Drapier thought it would be good for Dr. Smith to
review the report in order to help him with their therapy. Mrs. Drapier read the report and
admitted that she did not understand some of the psychological jargon used in the
report and had difficulty understanding what the conclusions of the report were.
Dr. Smith decided to review the report. He believed that the custody evaluator
had made several significant errors in the report concerning the psychological
health of his patient. Additionally, Dr. Smith believed that some of the conclusions
were in error, and had little support for those opinions in the body of the
report.
Prior to their next session, Dr. Smith calls you for a
consultation.
Dr. Smith asked if he needed to inform the patient of his
impressions of the report and the seemingly erroneous conclusions. He feels stuck between being faithful
to the patient and her needs without crossing a boundary as a treating
psychologist.
He also wondered if he should contact the patient’s lawyer,
with her permission, to disclose his perceptions about the quality of the
report and his perceptions about the conclusions.
Dr. Smith also wondered if it was appropriate to bill Mrs.
Drapier for his time in reviewing the report.
Dr. Smith also asked if it is ethical to bill the patient’s
insurance company to review his impressions of a forensic report during a
psychotherapy session.
