A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Therapists who Have Been Threatened with Harm or Attacked by a Client or a Relative of a Client During the Course of Treatment in a Non-Residential Setting

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to understand the experience of six therapists who had been threatened with harm or attacked by a client or a relative of a client in an outpatient setting. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data which were then analyzed using thematic coding. While some of the results of this study are consistent with existing literature on attacks on clinicians in acute inpatient settings, many of the study findings suggest that the experiences of therapists working in an outpatient setting who are threatened by a client or a relative of client are unique to that setting. Clinical implications are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Development

Department dc:contributor.department

Human Development

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Wolverton, Katherine Gray

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Huebner, Angela J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Falconier, Mariana K.
• McCollum, Eric E.

• client threats
• client violence
• dangerous clients
• client aggression
• client attacks

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:4596

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/73337