Confidentiality in Clinical Practice
Navigating Legal and Ethical Obligations
- Speaker:
- Kathryn Krase, PhD, JD, MSW
- Duration:
- 3.5 Hours
- Copyright:
-
Aug 04, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150841
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar - Also available: Live Webinar
Description
- Gain a structured framework for analyzing confidentiality decision
- Step-by-step frameworks for ethical and legal challenges
- Clear explanation of current laws, professional duties, and limits related to client confidentiality
Confidentiality sits at the center of therapeutic work, shaping trust, safety, and the client relationship.
Yet even experienced professionals encounter moments when the rules shift, the stakes rise, and the appropriate response is not immediately clear.
A disclosure of imminent danger. A hint of self-harm. A request for records. An unexpected legal demand. A casual conversation that suddenly feels like a boundary issue.
And that uncertainty is precisely what this training was designed to address.
Led by ethics and legal expert Dr. Kathryn Krase, JD, MSW, you will learn how confidentiality requirements apply across common professional scenarios and how to approach related ethical and legal questions.
You’ll learn:
- How to decide what applies in the moment when ethical codes, laws, and confidentiality rules don’t seem to align
- What to say – and what not to say – when informed consent, privilege, or privacy come into play unexpectedly
- How to respond confidently to records requests, releases of information, subpoenas, and legal inquires without escalating risk
- What steps to take when safety concerns arise, including self-harm disclosures, mandated reporting decisions, and duty to protect situations
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Credit
Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships
All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.
Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this non-interactive self-study package.
CE hours may be available for select professions, as listed in the target audience. Hours will be dependent on the actual recording time. Please check with your state licensing board or organization for specific requirements.
There may be an additional fee for CE certificates. Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details.
**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.
Speaker
Kathryn Krase, PhD, JD, MSW Related seminars and products
Kathryn Krase, PhD, JD, MSW, principal consultant with Krase Consultant, is a lawyer, social worker, and expert on the legal and ethical implications of professional practice. She has over two decades of experience as a professor of social work in undergraduate, masters level and doctoral level social work programs. She has authored multiple books and articles on the subject of professional ethics, including Making the Tough Call: A Resource for Professional Reporters of Suspected Child Maltreatment.
Dr. Krase blogs regularly on topics such as professional boundaries for clinicians, confidentiality in practice, and racial justice in mental health practice. She has years of experience consulting with government and community-based organizations to develop policy & practice standards, and trains thousands of mental and physical health professionals a year on various legal and ethical obligations.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kathryn Krase maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Social Work Education Assessment Project. She receives royalties as a published author. Kathryn Krase receives a speaking honorarium and product royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kathryn Krase is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Examine the ethical obligation to keep client information confidential.
- Examine the legal obligation to keep client information confidential.
- Produce discussions with clients regarding these obligations so that clients make an educated decision when sharing information with the professional.
- Determine appropriate responses to ethical, legal, and moral conundrums faced when considering whether to breach client confidentiality.
Outline
Ethics and Laws Governing Confidentiality
- Core ethical principles shaping confidentiality
- Overview of professional codes of ethics (APA, NASW, ACA, AAMFT)
- Key federal and state laws relevant to confidentiality
- Understanding Protected Health Information (PHI)
- Informed consent and its role in client communication
- Privilege and its legal implications
Client Confidentiality
- Talking About Clients to Others
- Appropriate consultation practices
- Avoid informal or unnecessary disclosures
- Client Records
- Documentation standards
- Use and manage releases of information
- How to evaluate and respond to subpoenas
- Considerations when testifying in court
Duty to Protect From Harm
- Implications of the Tarasoff decision
- Responding to disclosures of self-harm
- Mandated reporting requirements and decision thresholds
Case Studies and Practice Implications
- Apply ethical and legal frameworks to real situations
- Navigate confidentiality in digital communication
- Practical strategies for handling complex or ambiguous cases
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Case Manages
- Therapists
- Physicians
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Other Mental Health Professionals
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