When therapists need protection from patients

Therapy is meant to be a safe space for the patient and the therapist. But sometimes, it is anything but.
This past spring, therapist Scott Owen, a high-ranking leader in the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Provo, Utah, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing his clients.
The clients, referred by the church, came to him seeking help for same-sex attraction. Owen told them the sexual abuse was part of their treatment. Therefore, Owen used his positions as church leader and therapist to intimidate them.
When a therapist violates a relationship with a patient, it breaks trust and can have long-term consequences.
But what happens when the patient harms the therapist?
That harm can come in the form of stalking, assaulting, or mor...