Vermont’s mandated reporting laws require psychologists and other psychotherapists to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation, as well as any reasonable suspicion of the abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults, to the appropriate authorities. Additionally, the duty to warn obligates psychologists to take  action to warn certain individuals of threats of harm by their clients. These laws are designed to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals and the community.  Understanding these obligations is crucial for practicing psychologists to maintain ethical standards and legal compliance.

Children

Vermont statutes define “child,” “abuse,” “neglect” and “exploitation” at 33 V.S.A. § 4912.  There are a number of statues that address criminal definitions and penalties for child abuse, neglect, and exploitation; those are generally found in Title 13 of the Vermont Statues Annotated.

Vulnerable Adults

A “vulnerable adult” is an individual over the age of 18 who has receives certain therapeutic or personal care services or has a mental, physical, or developmental disability or other impairment (including age-related impairments).  You can see the definitions for “vulnerable adults,” “abuse,” “neglect,” and “exploitation” at 33 V.S.A. § 6902.   The criminal provisions for abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult are found at 13 V.S.A. § 1375.

Duty to Warn

The “duty to warn,” a version of which exists in many states, is set by statute in Vermont at 18 V.S.A. 1882.  Generally, this duty requires that  “a mental health professional who knows or, based upon the standards of the mental health profession, should know that his or her patient poses a serious risk of danger to an identifiable victim has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect him or her from that danger.”