How can a clinician address disclosure of domestic violence while ensuring safety and providing resources?

• A. Validate the experience; assess safety; provide resources; safety planning; coordinate with authorities or shelters if needed; maintain confidentiality boundaries.
• B. Dismiss the report and advise the client to handle it alone.
• C. Reveal confidential information to family members without consent.
• D. Delay addressing safety until after therapy ends.

Answer: (C)

When a client discloses domestic violence, the priority is safety while connecting them with helpful resources. The clinician should validate what the client has experienced, assess current safety and lethal risk, and work collaboratively to develop a concrete safety plan. This includes discussing options for staying safe in the moment and in the future, identifying trusted contacts, and arranging access to resources such as local domestic violence shelters, hotlines, legal advocacy, safety planning tools, and counseling.

Confidentiality is central, but it has limits you explain clearly. Share information only with the client’s consent unless there is imminent danger or you’re required to report by law. If immediate risk exists, coordinate with appropriate authorities or shelter programs to enhance safety, always involving the client as much as possible and honoring their preferences. Documentation should capture the disclosure, risk assessment, safety plan, and referrals.

Revealing confidential information to family members without consent undermines safety and violates ethical practice, and it can escalate risk for the survivor. The goal is to empower the client with choices, resources, and a plan to stay safe.