Webinar on What Practitioners need to know about the difference in Ethics and Law for Mental Health Professionals

Overview: Mental health care practitioners work in today's diverse, fast-changing, multidisciplinary health care environment. Nowhere but in mental health is there such diversity of clinicians who provide the same or similar services of counseling and therapy. Yet each individual mental health profession has a unique education, training, and experience requirement for practice.

The state's authority and power over mental health practitioners often presents challenges to mental health professionals that are not easy to navigate.

All mental health practitioners must adhere to standards of state law which govern their professional practices, including the doctor-patient relationship. Codes of ethics and state law may both apply to govern the conduct of this clinician. Complaints that are received and investigated by a state agency leave the mental health practitioner with an uncertain process to handle the state action against them.

Learn to identify and understand an ethical framework for a sound mental health practice. Describe the inherent risks in mental health practice. Review the three most common violations of law against mental health clinicians. Compare and contrast regulatory laws and codes of ethics. Learn practical tips about how to avoid liability and manage risk in clinical settings.

This allows the mental health care practitioner to avoid sanctions and to defend against legal actions which may result in ruinous practice and career consequences for the mental health practitioner.

This program offers an objective, thorough review of ethics and law for mental health practitioners. 

Why should you attend: Mental health practitioners are faced with a variety of life or death, high risk, legal situations.

These events can expose clinicians to liability, lawsuits, and complaints to state licensing boards. For example, dual relationships and standard of care are two of the most common issues associated with the sanctioning of mental health practitioners. Assessing and treating patients who are suicidal or violent creates fear in the mental health practitioner.

What violations may trap the unwary clinician? Erase the uncertainty by knowing the intersection of ethics and law for mental health practitioners.

This continuing education webinar will explore the common risks that face clinicians and will give practical tips about how to avoid legal liability and threat to the practice of the mental health practitioner. 

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Identify an ethical framework for sound mental health practice
• Describe the inherent risks in mental health practice
• Review three most common complaints filed against clinicians to state mental health licensing boards
• Compare and contrast regulatory laws and codes of ethics for mental health professionals
• Provide practical tips about how to avoid liability and manage risk in clinical settings