Mental Health Professionals and Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)
- Speaker:
- Gerald Koocher, PhD, LP, ABPP
- Duration:
- 1 Hour
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
May 22, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS151011
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
Access to medical aid in dying has increasingly become legally available in the United States, Canada, and European countries, and mental health professionals are being called upon to provide a crucial assessment and support role.
In this session, Dr. Gerald Koocher – ethics expert and author of seminal texts including Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions and the Psychologists’ Desk Reference – will help you:
- Evaluate your own belief system as you understand patient motivations for medical aid in dying
- Begin to assess patient competence – including cognitive and emotional factors
- Align with legal and ethical responsibilities as you collaborate with medical teams
Credit
Speaker
Gerald Koocher, PhD, LP, ABPP Related seminars and products
Gerald P. Koocher, PhD, LP, ABPP earned his doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri. He has served as Chief of Psychology at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and as health sciences dean at Simmons and DePaul Universities. In 2022, he joined Capella University as director of their clinical and school psychology programs and retains appointments at the Hospital and on faculty at the Harvard Bioethics Center.
Dr. Koocher is the founding Editor of the journal Ethics & Behavior, and previously served as Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and The Clinical Psychologist. He is currently associate editor of Practice Innovations. He has published more than 350 articles and book chapters and authored or edited 18 books including Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions, the Psychologist’s Desk Reference, and The Parent’s Guide to Psychological First Aid.
He earned five specialty diplomas from the American Board of Professional Psychology (Clinical, Clinical Child/Adolescent, Family, Forensic, and Health Psychology) and holds active psychology licenses in Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. He served as APA president in 2006.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Gerald Koocher has employment relationships with Harvard Medical School, Capella University, and Boston Children's Hospital. He is a consultant with New Mexico Department of Mental Health. Gerald Koocher receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Gerald Koocher is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Massachusetts Psychological Association. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Organization for Autism Research and on the APA Committee on Professional Practice and Standards.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
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Additional CE Info
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Objectives
- Identify essential competencies for mental health practitioners who plan to work with patients considering MAiD.
- Summarize key issues in the regulatory landscape of MAiD and how to address liability issues.
- Select components of an assessment plan to assist in evaluating candidates for MAiD.
Outline
Mental Health Professionals and MAiD
- Understanding patient motivations
- Ethical guardrails – the importance of full consent
- Roles and legal/ethical responsibilities
- Assessment of competency
- The moral/emotional landscape of end-of-life care
- Collaboration with medical teams
- Bereavement after MAiD
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Other Mental Health Professionals
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
Reviews
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