Course info

This course provides a general overview of ethical and legal issues, with updates on laws and ethical standards that have evolved over time.  The purpose of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for mental health professionals to consider, review, and discuss particularly difficult ethical and legal issues related to maintaining confidentiality, avoiding multiple relationships and maintaining boundaries, clinical documentation, ethics in the electronic age, impaired practice and mandatory reporting/Duty to warn. The course will assist mental health professionals in maintaining competence in making ethically and legally informed decisions, and help participants better manage the legal and ethical complexities of their mental health practice. The course will be taught at an intermediate level and is appropriate for currently licensed professionals.

Goals:

·        Define “ethical practice” and its role in society and professional practice.  

·        Increase awareness of professional codes of conduct and Ohio Law.

·        Provide participants with information related to any recent changes to current codes/ laws.

·        Understand the role of ethical decision making in handling ethical dilemmas.

Objectives:

Participants will:

·        Explain how ethics contributes to professional practices and contributes to an organized and positive social environment.

·        Verbalize an understanding of ethical rules and laws related to confidentiality, multiple relationships and boundaries, clinical documentation, use of electronics in therapy, competence and impaired practice and mandated reporting.

·        When presented with an ethical dilemma, participants will be able to identify an appropriate response and defend it using an ethical decision-making model.

Workshop Outline:

8:45-10:00   Review of professional ethical standards and recent changes to laws

10:00-1145     General discussion on how to resolve ethical dilemmas  

Break 11-11:15 

11:45-12:45 pm Ethical dilemma case presentations and application of decision making  

12:45-1 pm Wrap up, questions, and takeaways  

Level: Intermediate

Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. has been approved as a CE provider by the Ohio Psychological Association (#311358292), the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (RCS060502), and as a NBCC ACEP^TM No. 7265.