What mandated reporters are required to report is suspicion of child "abuse". (I will not address here the new California law which mandates reporting suspicion of use of kiddy porn and leave that for another time.) This can be past, ongoing, or future "abuse," but it must involve an identifiable minor. That is what is SUPPOSED to happen. They are NOT supposed to report you merely for your attractions. Unfortunately, as has been alluded to, there are some overzealous (at best!) therapists who are misapply or misinterpret reporting requirements, and people like the unfortunate Trucker get caught up in the system.

So yes, it is risky to just go into some random therapist's office and tell of your attractions, but it is not a reason to forego all psychotherapy. There are things you can do to protect yourself while obtaining valuable therapy. I have been on both sides of the couch, and my therapists have run the gamut. There were those to whom I couldn't wait to get back each week, and others for whom sitting through a 50-min session was like torture. Before you enter into any therapeutic relationship, you need to have the therapist tell you explicitly just how he understands the reporting laws in detail.

I strongly recommend B4U-ACT's Seeking Therapy page to anyone who is shopping for a therapist. There you will find the reporting questions you need to ask as we as a comprehensive list of others you'd want answers to before entering into any therapeutic relationship.

You are NOT second-class citizens. You deserve the same access to safe, competent, and compassionate mental health care as anyone else. Demand it, and go get it if you feel it is something you want. Just go about it carefully.






• ( http link ) Seeking Therapy
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