The Psychotherapist Privilege Applies to Nonverbal Communications

April 20, 2022  |  New York Law Journal

The “psychotherapist privilege” protects communications between a patient and his or her mental-health provider.  Although the existence of the privilege is well-settled, little case law exists addressing the scope of the “communications” that are covered by the privilege.  In our latest article for the New York Law Journal, “The Psychotherapist Privilege Applies to Nonverbal Communications,” we discuss United States v. Ray, in which U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman held that the privilege protects a patient’s nonverbal communications. 

The Psychotherapist Privilege Applies to Nonverbal Communications (pdf | 145.27 KB)