Lindsay Clancy's Psychiatrist Testifies: Zoloft, Warning Signs, and a Screening That Missed It

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
This is live courtroom coverage of the trial of Lindsay Clancy from the Hitting Killers podcast in True Crime Today. Now, back to the courtroom.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:16)
Showing you page 57 of Exhibit 219, an initial therapy assessment by Jennifer McAllister on October 3rd, 2022 Would that have been the first time she saw Ms. McAllister?

**Jennifer Tufts** (0:33)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:34)
So that's on that same day that you saw her. It looks like from the record, you saw her at 1130 Is that correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (0:43)
I don't have the time on my paper, but I'm sure that's correct.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:47)
Okay, so apparently she saw you about the work form and then she had an appointment with Ms. McAllister. Is that correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (0:56)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:58)
And it says here in the records that Jennifer McAllister is an LMHC. What is that?

**Jennifer Tufts** (1:03)
A Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:06)
And so is a Counselor, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, someone who can conduct therapy sessions?

**Jennifer Tufts** (1:11)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:14)
And why is it in your practice that you have a psychiatrist who does therapy and prescribes medication, but in addition, you would have a therapist doing counseling?

**Jennifer Tufts** (1:26)
So today, a lot of psychiatry is practiced as a team, at least that's how we practice at my office.
So oftentimes, the therapist is able to see the patient every single week. They're able to focus in more depth on certain aspects of, you know, the patient's well-being. And so it's helpful to have one person paying extra attention to the therapy component, especially when the psychiatrist does have to spend a lot of time discussing the medications and thinking about the medications.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:14)
And so is that the teamwork approach that Lindsay Clancy received in her treatment at Astor Mental Health?

**Jennifer Tufts** (2:20)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:22)
And in that October 3rd assessment with Ms. McAllister, you reviewed those notes and records so that you could properly treat Ms. Clancy, correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (2:33)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:34)
And in that first meeting with Ms. McAllister, the defendant described her relationship with her parents as very supportive and stable, correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (2:45)
I don't have Jennifer's notes in front of me.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:49)
Don't you have page 60? You want to just review the notes?

**Jennifer Tufts** (2:54)
Sure.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:54)
I'll look up what you think.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:22)
Does that refresh your memory, as to the notes that you reviewed from Lindsay's session with McAllister?

**Jennifer Tufts** (3:28)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:29)
And so in that session, Ms. Clancy stated that her parents were very supportive and stable?

**Jennifer Tufts** (3:36)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:37)
And she also mentioned having the support of an older sister who only lived two and a half hours away. Is that correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (3:44)
That's what she stated in the note, John.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:47)
Did she also say that she was not close with her in-laws who lived in situ it? She would see them often as they were her husband's parents, but she didn't generally allow them to watch the children?
Is that correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (4:00)
That's what I read.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:02)
And there's a quote in here, don't have a particular reason why they don't bug me about it either. Is that correct?

**Jennifer Tufts** (4:08)
That's what I read.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:14)
And October 3rd, 2022, when you met with her that day, did you again do a mental status exam?

**Jennifer Tufts** (4:20)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:21)
Had anything changed in that mental status exam from the September 28th meeting that you had with her?

**Jennifer Tufts** (4:29)
Can I review it?

**SPEAKER_2** (4:30)
Yes.

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:07)
There isn't anything that stands out to me right now.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:09)
And I think that what you put on the October 3rd date was that her insight was still poor.

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:17)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:17)
Was that for the same reasons you described earlier?

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:20)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:22)
The next time that you saw Ms. Clancy, was that on October 20th, 2022?

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:28)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:29)
And what information did you learn on that date about whether or not she was taking the Zoloft you had prescribed?

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:36)
So she told me that she decided to start the Zoloft.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:40)
And did she tell you how long she had been taking it?

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:44)
For one week.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:46)
And did she tell you that the previous night she had increased the dose?

**Jennifer Tufts** (5:50)
Yes.

**SPEAKER_2** (5:51)
And that's what was in the original prescription, correct? To take the pills at 25 milligrams for one week and then increase to 50?