The Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege in Washington: Extending the Privilege to Community Mental Health Clinics

Authors

William Whitmore Hague

Abstract

This Comment examines recent amendments to Washington's Community Mental Health Services Act, which arguably extend the privilege to communications made between patients and employees of state mental health clinics and agencies. After reviewing the justifications for the psychotherapist-patient privilege, part I of this Comment discusses the present structure of the privilege in Washington. Part II considers the amendments to the Community Mental Health Services Act and concludes that these amendments are beneficial because they extend the availability of confidential mental health treatment to the poor without greatly limiting the amount of admissible evidence. Last, this Comment proposes a comprehensive psychotherapist-patient privilege statute to provide uniformity for the psychotherapist-patient privilege in this state.

First Page

565

Recommended Citation

William W. Hague, Comment, The Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege in Washington: Extending the Privilege to Community Mental Health Clinics, 58 Wash. L. Rev. 565 (1983).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol58/iss3/5