Ethical Principles in the Practice of Texas Mental Health Professionals

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Allan M Tepper, JD, PsyD Related seminars and products

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Allan M. Tepper, JD, PsyD, is engaged in the private practice of both law and psychology in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a psychologist, he specializes in forensic matters and has testified on numerous occasions in cases involving civil, criminal, domestic relations, and death penalty issues.

 

As an attorney, he has extensive trial experience, including the representation of mental health professionals in ethics and licensing board proceedings. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Widener University in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and at the Philadelphia Chapter of Great Lakes Colleges Association, and an adjunct assistant professor at Immaculate College, Graduate School.

 

Dr. Tepper frequently conducts ethics training for mental health professionals throughout the United States and is well-known for his engaging style and knowledge of each State’s laws and regulations. He publishes frequently in the areas of law and psychology. He is co-author of Pennsylvania Law and Psychology – Third Edition, and Pennsylvania Law, Ethics, and Psychology – Fourth Edition.

 

He received his J.D. degree from Albany Law School and received M.S. and Psy.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Hahnemann University in Pennsylvania.
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Allan Tepper maintains private law and psychology practices. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He is a published author and receives royalties. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Allan Tepper has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Access never expires for this product. For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.

Objectives

1. Identify specific state and administrative laws that are pertinent to establishing and maintaining an ethical clinical practice.
2. Determine potential nonsexual boundary violations.
3. Explain which notes, documents, reports, forms, and clinical data constitute an official medical record.
4. Evaluate your current record-keeping practices in order to ensure compliance with ethical and legal requirements.
5. List the treatment provider’s responsibilities relating to mental health issues and duty to warn law.
6. Analyze the legal and ethical considerations for the treatment of minor populations with regard to age of consent, confidentiality and custody concerns.

Outline

Understand the Legal System

• Statutes
• Rules and regulations
• Case law
• Finding the law

Legal Exposure

• Criminal liability
• Civil liability
• Licensing complaints
• Organization complaints

Establish the Treatment Relationship

• The professional relationship
• The legal and ethical principle of informed consent
• Informed consent as part of the treatment modality
• Use of and reliance upon written consent forms

Record-Keeping Practices

• Record-keeping regulations
• Items which constitute the record, persona notes vs. charting, raw data, computer printouts and third-party records
• Access to records by written requests, subpoenas and court orders

The Ethics of Duty to Warn

• Duty to warn potential third-party victims
• Review of specific Texas case law governing danger to others
• A clinical approach to the duty to protect

Treatment of Minors

• Age of majority
• Consent to treatment and access to records
• Clinical implications in the treatment of the older adolescent
• Treatment of minors in situations of family separation and divorce

Non-Sexual Boundary Violations

• Email correspondence and cell phone contacts
• Treatment vs. advocacy for patients
• Professional contacts with attorneys and the legal profession
• In-court expert testimony

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Other Mental Health Professionals
• Nurses

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