The New Portable Lawyer For Mental Health Professionals And The Portable Ethicist For Mental Health Professionals Set

Safeguard your mental health practice with up-to-date information and savvy advice on practicing in today's legal environment Today's mental health professional must approach the legal aspects of practice with both sensitivity and foreknowledge. The array of legal guidelines and ethical standards to comprehend is increasing in scope and complexity. Licensing issues, ethics questions, and malpractice suits all present pitfalls that, if ignored or misapprehended, can interrupt or even end a career. Written by two attorneys specializing in the legal aspects of mental health care, The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition is an indispensable survival guide for all clinicians. The authors explain how to handle allegations of malpractice, cope with threats of violence, preserve client confidentiality, and more. Each chapter features step-by-step guidance, helpful case studies, "legal light bulbs" highlighting important concepts, answers to frequently asked questions, dos and don'ts, and sample forms and contracts to help you safeguard your practice. Completely revised and updated, the Second Edition also includes new information on: * HIPAA * Treating older adults * Using "exotic" therapy techniques * Ethical and legal aspects of office leases * And more The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition offers the latest information for practicing in today's legal environment. Mental health caregivers, graduate students, attorneys, and clients alike will find this guide to be an invaluable resource.

Now fully revised and in a second edition, The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals suggests solutions to the simple and complex ethical questions mental health professionals must deal with on a daily basis. This indispensable guide arms you with the expert knowledge you need to avoid an ethical violation?or to handle the situation if a complaint is filed. Web copy, 5/14/08, RH

Everything you need to know to protect your practice against ethical violations and complaints The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals is a valuable, easy-to-use resource for all mental health service providers. Written by two attorneys specializing in legal and ethical issues in mental health, this indispensable guide arms you with the expert knowledge you need to avoid an ethical violation–or to handle the situation if a complaint is filed. Barton Bernstein and Thomas Hartsell Jr. tackle dozens of ethical questions using the codes of several mental health professional associations and provide practical guidelines for avoiding ethically questionable behavior. Organized alphabetically for easy reference, this complete A-to-Z guide: Provides clear, concise answers to ethical questions–from the simple to the complex Covers key categories, including confidentiality, dual relationships, sexual misconduct, false and misleading statements, malpractice, drug and alcohol use, documentation, record keeping, closing a practice (retirement or death), responding to a subpoena, and more Features step-by-step guidance, helpful case studies, and "ethical flash points" that alert you to warning signs and help you steer clear of ethically questionable situations Covers the role of state licensing boards and national mental health associations in responding to complaints of ethical violations Even an unintentional ethical violation can lead to personal and professional disaster. The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals helps you protect yourself, your future, and your practice–and lets you focus on the best interests of your clients.

Everything you need to know to protect your practice against ethical violations and complaints The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals is a valuable, easy-to-use resource for all mental health service providers. Written by two attorneys specializing in legal and ethical issues in mental health, this indispensable guide arms you with the expert knowledge you need to avoid an ethical violation–or to handle the situation if a complaint is filed. Barton Bernstein and Thomas Hartsell Jr. tackle dozens of ethical questions using the codes of several mental health professional associations and provide practical guidelines for avoiding ethically questionable behavior. Organized alphabetically for easy reference, this complete A-to-Z guide: Provides clear, concise answers to ethical questions–from the simple to the complex Covers key categories, including confidentiality, dual relationships, sexual misconduct, false and misleading statements, malpractice, drug and alcohol use, documentation, record keeping, closing a practice (retirement or death), responding to a subpoena, and more Features step-by-step guidance, helpful case studies, and "ethical flash points" that alert you to warning signs and help you steer clear of ethically questionable situations Covers the role of state licensing boards and national mental health associations in responding to complaints of ethical violations Even an unintentional ethical violation can lead to personal and professional disaster. The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals helps you protect yourself, your future, and your practice–and lets you focus on the best interests of your clients.

The legal system's impact and influence on the mental health profession has never been greater. Whether as a witness, plaintiff, or defendant, it is likely that a professional will have some kind of interaction with the law at least once in his/her career. More than ever, it is essential that psychologists, social workers, and counselors have a working knowledge of the legal and ethical mandates to which they will be held accountable. Legal and Ethical Dimensions for Mental Health Professionals is a complete guide to the law and ethics as they relate to clinical practice. These issues can often be very confusing as values and rules change based on clients and context. For example, a school counselor who works with children is bound by different rules of confidentiality than a psychologist who counsels adults. To simplify such issues, the authors divide information into the legal and ethical rules appropriate for various types of clients in a number of settings. The book opens with an explanation of the history of law related to mental health professionals, including a description of how and why laws related to clinicians are enacted. It then focuses on the therapist-client relationship and examines the many points at which legal and ethical considerations intersect with the practice of therapy. This comprehensive look at the standards of law and ethics is essential reading for not only graduate and doctoral level students in the mental health fields, but also practicing professionals.

"It is difficult to find books that provide such a wealth of information on legal issues for practicing clinicians. This is a solidly written, invaluable resource that all practicing mental health professionals must read." Score: 97, 5 Stars.--Doody's Medical Reviews "Legal Self-Defense for Mental Health Practitioners is interesting, informative, andcommitted to professional, ethical quality care of service recipients....Woody offers many useful risk managementstrategies for mental health professionals....[and his] discussions are provocative and are supported by current, well-established references."--PsycCRITIQUES "I give high marks to Legal Self-Defense for Mental Health Practitioners because it presents a real-world perspective and no-nonsense analysis....As impressive, is that this valuable information is packed into a mere 153 pages, making the book an economical investment of time for the knowledge that is gained."--New England Psychologist At some point in their careers, mental health professionals may face legal action from clients. Clients may be noncompliant regarding policies agreed upon at the outset of therapeutic services, not adhere to an individualized treatment plan, be inappropriately aggressive, and file unjustified ethics and licensing complaints and/or lawsuits. Unfortunately, many mental health practitioners are not prepared for such actions and suffer great distress that affects their professional and personal lives. This practical text, written by an author who is both a psychologist and an attorney, demonstrates how mental health professionals can avoid legally actionable mistakes in their practices and what to do if they occur. Reflecting contemporary social policy and laws regarding mental health services, the text emphasizes the protection of rights for both practitioner and client, and addresses such pitfalls as malpractice, licensing hearings, noncompliant clients, and dealing with the legal system. It distills the authorís wisdom, gained over more than 30 years of legal counsel to all types of mental health practitioners, and describes how to improve practice strategies for achieving quality care, confront ethics and licensing complaints, and defend against potential or actual lawsuits. Additionally, the book covers individualized treatment planning, effective record keeping, how to deal with dangerous clients, how to insulate yourself from risk, and more. Numerous real life examples further help practitioners foster the knowledge and skills to assertively defend their rights should the need arise. Key Features: Illustrates how to avoid legally actionable mistakes in assessment and treatment Covers such issues as effective record keeping, treatment planning, dealing with dangerous or non-compliant clients, protecting your practice, and more Helps mental health professionals foster a ìwarriorî mentality when faced with unjust allegations of wrongdoing Presents numerous real-life cases