Jaffee v. Redmond's impact: Life after the supreme court's recognition of a psychotherapist-patient privilege

The United States Supreme Court's recognition of a psychotherapist-patient privilege in its 1996 decision in Jaffee v. Redmond was assumed by many men tal health professionals to signal an era of greater legal respect for the work of psychotherapists and the importance of protecting therapist-patient communications from judicial intrusion. In this article, the authors revie w the shea-term impact of Jaffee and offer strategies for therapists to add ress concerns with the confidentiality of therapist-patient communications.