S 6116: Imposes a duty to protect upon mental health practitioners; requires reasonable efforts to modify aspects of treatment in order to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm, initiating procedures for hospitalization, notifying the intended victim or victims, or notifying law enforcement officials when a person directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the threat; does not require a mental health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practitioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6116 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. PARKER, O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to the protection of mental health practitioners The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 9.42 to read as follows: 3 § 9.42 Efforts by mental health practitioners to reduce or eliminate 4 risks of harm. 5 (a) For purposes of this section, the term "mental health practition- 6 er" shall include any New York state licensed mental health practition- 7 er, including physicians, psychologists, registered psychiatric nurses 8 and nurse practitioners, and licensed clinical social workers. 9 (b) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, when a person to 10 whom a mental health practitioner is currently providing treatment 11 directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or 12 against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat 13 includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the 14 threat, the mental health practitioner may make timely and reasonable 15 efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm. For purposes of this 16 section, reasonable efforts may include, but are not limited to: modify- 17 ing aspects of the treatment in order to reduce or eliminate the risk of 18 harm; initiating procedures for hospitalization; notifying the intended 19 victim or victims; or notifying law enforcement officials. 20 (c) Whenever a mental health practitioner is required to make timely 21 and reasonable efforts pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section, such 22 mental health practitioner shall also comply with the provisions of 23 section 9.46 of this article. 24 (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a mental 25 health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reason- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03132-01-5 
 S. 6116 2 1 able professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practi- 2 tioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims. 3 (e) The decision of a mental health practitioner to disclose or not to 4 disclose the patient's or client's confidential treatment information to 5 others in accordance with this section, when made reasonably and in good 6 faith, shall not be the basis for any civil or criminal liability of 7 such mental health practitioner, including liability pursuant to unpro- 8 fessional conduct as described in the rules of the board of regents of 9 New York state, part 29. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.