Ethics and Risk Management in Behavioral Health

Credit

Speaker

Frederic G. Reamer, PhD Related seminars and products

School of Social Work, Rhode Island College

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Frederic G. Reamer, PhD, Professor Emeritus has taught in the graduate program of the school of social work, Rhode Island College, Providence, Rhode Island for 40 years. Dr. Reamer received his PhD from the University of Chicago and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. He chaired the national task force that wrote the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and served on the task force that added technology standards to the code. Dr. Reamer lectures both nationally and internationally on the subjects of professional ethics, professional malpractice and liability, and documentation. In addition to ethics, his research and a teaching have addressed a wide range of human service issues, including mental health, health care, criminal justice, and public welfare. Dr. Reamer has conducted extensive research on professional ethics and has been involved in several national research projects sponsored by The Hastings Center, Carnegie Corporation, Haas Foundation, and Center for Bioethics of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Reamer has been an expert witness and formal ethics consultant in more than 130 litigation and licensing board cases throughout the United States. He is the author of many books and other publications on ethical standards in behavioral health, risk management, and documentation.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Frederic Reamer receives royalties as a published author. Frederic Reamer receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Frederic Reamer serves as an advisory board member of Ocean State Stories, Pell Center, Salve Regina University and an advisory editor for the Encyclopedia of Social Work Online. He is a member of NASW Code of Ethics Revision Task Force, National Association of Social Workers, and the Association of Paroling Authorities International.

Additional Info

For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. You will have access for 90 days after the program for review.

Please note: There will be a lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.

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Objectives

1. Evaluate ethical challenges and risks in behavioral health.
2. Utilize risk management tips to reduce licensing board complaints and lawsuits.
3. Analyze ethical dilemmas clinicians face surrounding use of technology to serve clients remotely, communicate with clients, and store information.
4. Apply an ethical decision-making framework to recognize, analyze, resolve or prevent ethical dilemmas in your clinical practice.
5. Employ state-of-the-art documentation guidelines and protocols.
6. Determine ethical standards of care as they pertain to clinical practice.

Outline

• Case scenarios
• Patterns of ethics and risk management challenges
• Establish the treatment relationship
• Record-keeping practices
• The ethics of duty to warn/protect
• Local and national resources
• Awareness & diversity

• Insurance coverage: The essentials
• Importance of documentation: It really matters!
• Tips to avoid and defend lawsuits and licensing board complaints: Practical advice
• Key risk areas: What to look out for
• Importance of peer, ethics, and legal consultation
• The role of supervision

• Trends in malpractice claims and ethics complaints: Ethical mistakes, ethical decisions, misconduct
• Ethical challenges and risks: Essential knowledge
• Confidentiality, privacy, privileged communication
• Informed consent
• Boundary issues, dual relationships, and conflicts of interest
• Digital, online, and remote services and relationships
• High-risk treatment and services
• Termination of services
• Documentation
• Impaired professionals
• Ethics consultation and ethics committees
• Handling difficult ethical judgments and decisions: Protecting clients and practitioners

Target Audience

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