Psychotherapist Catherine Chambers was back on the stand for the 11th day of testimony at the Desmond Fatality Inquiry in Guysborough Thursday.
Chambers said Desmond called her the day he killed his wife, daughter, mother, and himself in Upper Big Tracadie in January 2017, and told her his wife, Shanna Desmond, had asked for a divorce.
She said Desmond called her because she had two therapeutic assessment sessions with him the month before; trying to determine if he would be a good fit to undertake community-based therapy with her.
Chambers said she helped him put together a plan to cope with the news of the divorce during that phone call; Desmond had told her the reason he hadn’t made a plan to commit suicide was because of his wife and daughter.
Inquiry lawyers asked Chambers why she didn’t call the police, and she said Desmond didn’t show signs of imminent risk to harm himself or anyone else.
“The choices that people make when they leave my office are their choices; I’m not responsible for their choices,” she said. “I can do what I can to try and keep them safe, but that’s the most that I can do within the scope of my clinical practice as a community-based psychotherapist.”
Near the end of testimony, Judge Zimmer read reports from Desmond’s release from a military mental health facility in Quebec; Chambers broke into tears listening.
Chambers said the new information made it clear Desmond needed more intensive care.
“In light of the information that you’ve shared from this report, I don’t believe Mr. Desmond would have been a candidate for community-based psychotherapy,” she said. “But would have required further inpatient care.”
Testimony resumes Tuesday.
