Elaine is a full-time counselor working in a clinical mental health agency that serves children and adults. She has a 17-year-old female client who has recently ended a physically abusive relationship with her boyfriend. The client’s ex-boyfriend is an 18-year-old male, and they dated for two years before breaking up six months ago. Elaine’s client has told Elaine that if she sees her ex-boyfriend, she will kill him and would view her own actions as self-defense. The state in which Elaine practices does not have a duty-to-warn law, but it does have laws regarding client confidentiality. What is her legal obligation to her client, the ex-boyfriend, and herself as a counselor? What is her ethical obligation to her client, the ex-boyfriend, and herself as a counselor? What factors might be important for her to consider? What ethical concerns will she need to consider?

Elaine is a full-time counselor working in a clinical mental health agency that serves children and adults. She has a 17-year-old female client who has recently ended a physically abusive relationship with her boyfriend. The client’s ex-boyfriend is an 18-year-old male, and they dated for two years before breaking up six months ago.

Elaine’s client has told Elaine that if she sees her ex-boyfriend, she will kill him and would view her own actions as self-defense. The state in which Elaine practices does not have a duty-to-warn law, but it does have laws regarding client confidentiality. What is her legal obligation to her client, the ex-boyfriend, and herself as a counselor? What is her ethical obligation to her client, the ex-boyfriend, and herself as a counselor? What factors might be important for her to consider? What ethical concerns will she need to consider?