Consequences of the therapist's claim “I'm not a detective”

Abstract

Clinicians providing mental health therapy have long accepted the use of free narrative and the resulting “narrative truth” that provides a basis for exploring the patient's/client's problems. Since the legal system in the 1990s has allowed claims of “recovered memories” of childhood sexual abuse to be heard in criminal and civil cases years—even decades—after the alleged events occurred, the therapists' patients/clients now must prove the “historical truth” of their perceived memories in order to prevail. The difference between these “truths” requires therapists to exercise increased care in working with persons who may come to have false beliefs about their past. The failure to do so may result in a disservice to the patient/client and further legal problems for the therapist.