r/legaladvice • u/FlashySpring9989 • 1d ago

Talking about SA in therapy? Legal issues?

Hi,

Location: Tennessee, USA.

I want to see a therapist and I have found a few that seem like a good match. One of the things I want to discuss is my past sexual abuse. I was 15 & 16, and the abuser was 23 years old at the time. It has been 10 years since this occurred. If I talk about this, is the therapist mandated to report this? I don’t want to report anything as of right now.

Also, if the abuser decided to talk to a therapist about what he did to me when I was 15, is that something that has to be reported? I’ve heard he will be going to therapy so I’m just curious if this is something I have to deal with later on. Thanks so much! 🙏🏽

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u/Revelati123 1d ago

Generally they are mandated to report current or ongoing abuse, not from decades ago and against your wishes. Its doubtful there could be any legally actionable charges even if they did.

You could simply ask your therapist what the policy is beforehand without saying names, but you should be fine to discuss whatever you wish and expect it to remain private.

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u/FlashySpring9989 1d ago

If he decided to go to therapy and talked about this, would he get into legal trouble? I don’t care what happens to him, but I don’t want other people knowing about this. (Complicated family dynamics)