Counsellor criticised for exchange with boy, 8, who threatened to stab mum

Meantal Health Commissioner has criticised counsellor for how she handled an incident with an eight-year-old boy including asking if he would use scissors to stab his mother. Photo / File

A counsellor who asked a boy who said he wanted to stab his mother what he would use to do it has been told to apologise to his family after breaching the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights.

The 8-year-old boy was seeing the counsellor to help with bullying at school and behaviour towards his brother when he said he wanted to stab his mum, according to a Health and Disability Commissioner's decision.

The counsellor, who was seeing the boy for the second time, then asked him what he would use and made a suggestion about using some nearby scissors.

The boy then went to grab the scissors at about the same time as the counsellor who got to them first.

She then restrained the boy by pushing him back in his chair.

The mother claimed the counsellor then threatened to stab him with the scissors, but the counsellor denied this happened.

The counsellor, who had did not have any formal qualifications but had been a counsellor for a number of years, then tried to empathise with the boy.

She asked if he felt "powerless" and suggested that his family felt that way when he had previously tried to hold a knife to his brother's throat.

The counsellor's husband arrived and took over restraining the irate boy and police were called.

In his decision released today, Mental Health Commissioner Kevin Allan said by probing the boy about how he wanted to stab his mother, the counsellor's comments were inappropriate and only escalated the situation.

He also criticised her use of empathy saying they were "highly inappropriate" and did not match the boy's understanding of empathy.

Allan recommended the counsellor, who has now left the profession, provide a written letter of apology to the boy and his mother and have training on best practice techniques in de-escalation and developing empathy if she were to return to practice.

Allan has also raised his concerns with the Ministry of Health about the lack of protections that people may face when dealing with an unregulated counsellor given the profession is not regulated under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.