Law & Ethics

Trainer: Eric Strom

When: Friday, January 29, 2020 (9am-4pm)

Total CEUs: 6

Advanced Confidentiality with Veteran Clients

Description:

Concern about the lack of confidentiality of mental health records may inhibit many veterans from seeking effective counseling services. This workshop will address state and federal laws regarding the limits of confidentiality for mental health counseling records. The workshop will also present strategies for maximizing the protection of confidentiality laws for the benefit of veteran clients. Among the topics to be covered are: Federal and State confidentially standards, privilege, the basics of HIPAA, subpoenas, duty to warn, and mandatory reporting. This course is intended to meet ethics CEU requirements.

Objectives:

1. Identify legal standards relating to confidentiality;
2. Describe the difference between legal privilege and confidentiality;
3. Discuss the relationship between State Laws, HIPAA, and Professional Ethics Codes with respect to client confidentiality;
4. Formulate strategies for maximizing the ability to protect veteran client confidentiality

Releasing Health Information

Balancing the protection of client confidentiality against compliance with subpoenas and court orders can be both challenging and stress-inducing for may clinicians. An effective understanding of the legal and ethical requirements regarding confidently, subpoenas, client advocacy and in-court testimony is vital to effective clinical work and is a key part of sound professional practice. In this workshop we will examine legal and ethical standards regarding releasing client information within the legal system. We will also discuss best-practices to support effective clinical work with Veteran clients while minimizing exposure to liability. This course is intended to meet Law & Ethics CEU requirements.

Objectives:

1. Participants in this workshop will be able to:
2. Locate and describe legal and ethical standards relating to confidentiality and privilege
3. Locate and describe Federal and Washington State legal standards relating to clinical documentation
4. Create and evaluate strategies to for in court testimony and advocacy to best support effective work with clients
5. Apply best practice standards to responding to subpoenas and other court orders.