How would you solve this issue?

Question

You are counseling adolescents (age 13 and older) in an outpatient treatment center.

Barbara is becoming increasingly withdrawn. After several sessions Barbara tells you that she is afraid that her father might kill her and that he frequently beats her. Until now she has lied about obvious bruises on her body, claiming that she fell off her bicycle and hurt herself. She shows you welts on her arms and back but tells you not to say anything to anyone because her father has threatened a worse beating if she tells anyone. What do you do?

Answer 1

As a legal expert, I’ll explain to Barbara that a false statement damages a person’s reputation. Although there is no law in the U.S against slander except two states, I’ll inform her of the consequences of repeated false lies. One effect is emotional harm to her father.

Again, I’ll advise her that in law, there are basic elements of slander. If her allegations are proven wrong, she can be sued for defamation or libel. This suggests that I’ll take considerate steps to investigate and evaluate the accuracy of her statement before encouraging her to take a law suit against her father.