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Ethics and Malpractice Issues

CE Hours 3

About this course

This beginner's course provides information on ethics and malpractice issues. Join Attorney Catherine Hoort, J.D., and Psychologist Alan Bader, Ph.D., as they take a deep dive into case studies that represent common concerns that develop within the mental health industry. You will learn how to recognize ethical dilemmas and how to prevent legal liabilities that incur expensive court costs, time consumption, and professional destruction. Please note: This course is not designed or intended to provide legal advice but is offered as a learning tool to guide you in the decisions you make regarding ethics and malpractice issues.

Learning Objectives

  • Review relevant legal cases to understand the legal process as it relates to the code of ethics.
  • Cite common ethical dilemmas and the link between ethical and legal issues.
  • Identify therapeutic interventions that could lead to malpractice claims by a person other than the therapist’s patient.
  • Detect inadvertent violations of confidentiality when collecting professional fees or when served with a subpoena.
  • Predict potential legal and ethical issues related to dual relationships when a patient is also a colleague.
  • Describe risks involved when providing therapy that exceeds a therapist’s licensed areas of practice.

Learning Levels

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate

Target Audience

This self-paced course is intended for mental health professionals including psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage & family therapists and addiction professionals.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Catherine Hoort, JD

    Catherine Hoort, J.D., has been a student of RRT for over a year. She is a licensed attorney in Georgia and Michigan with emeritus status in both states and was an adjunct professor of law for over 24 years. Prior to becoming an attorney, she was a social worker for many years with experience in handling protective service cases and as the director of a child development center.

  • Alan Bader, PhD

    Alan Bader, Ph.D., is a psychologist who is licensed in Pennsylvania and in those states that recognize his credentials as a PSYPACT approved provider. He is a long-term member of both the American Psychological Association and the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. He began training in RRT in 2014 and reached the designation of Certified RRT Specialist in 2021. He has hosted several webinars for members of the RRT community.

Disclosure

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests). The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer: PLANNERS AND REVIEWER The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships. FACULTY The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

References

  • Hungerford v Jones, 143 N.H. 208, 722 A.2d 478 (New Hampshire Supreme Court, 1998
  • Doe v McKay, 183 ILL.2d 272, 700 NE2d 1018 (ILL., 1998) (Illinois)
  • Huber v. Vohnoutka, et. al., No. A14-1403, 2015 WL 1514193 (Minn. App. Apr. 6, 2015); A16-1722, July 31, 2017, Minn.Ct. App. July 31, 2017
  • Runyon v Smith, 322 NJ Super. 236, 730 A.2d. 881 (App. Div., 1999) affirmed on appeal, 163 N.J. 439, 749 A2d 852 (N.J. 200)
  • Anonymous v. Meier Clinics of Maryland, LLC, Maryland case #424358V (2016) (Trial court, no record of appeal, unpublished)
  • Estate of Dana Mobley v Constance Reynolds, November 2007, https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2007/11/19/85123.htm
  • New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners - 2015 disciplinary action by the against Dr. Barry Helfmann, https://www.propublica.org/article/barry-helfmann-psychologist-license-suspension-new-jersey
  • SonderMind. (2023, September 22). Subpoenas and how to handle them.
  • Insureon. (2023, February). How therapists and counselors can avoid malpractice lawsuits. Insureon. Retrieved from https://www.insureon.com/blog/malpractice-for-counselors
  • Psychiatric News. (2020, November 18). Subpoenas and court orders—Friend or foe? Psychiatry Online.
  • Appelbaum, P. S. (2021). Malpractice claims in psychiatry: approaches to reducing risk. World Psychiatry, 20(3), 438.
  • University of Wisconsin. (2022). The importance of professional ethics in mental health counseling. University of Wisconsin-Superior Online. https://online.uwsuper.edu/degrees/education/msed/clinical-mental-health-counseling/ethics-in-mental-health-counseling/
  • Louie, Sam. (2020). How therapists should handle subpoenas. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minority-report/202001/how-therapists-should-handle-subpoenas
  • Ordway, A. M., & Casasnovas, A. F. (2019). A subpoena: The other exception to confidentiality. The Family Journal, 27(4), 352-358.
  • Marshall, M. (2025, February 10). Ethics, boundaries, and actions. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/bridging-ethics-and-practice/202502/ethics-boundaries-and-actions

CE Process Info

Content

  • Introduction
    3 parts
    • Course Syllabus
    • Introduction
    • More about Rapid Resolution Therapy®
  • Professional Malpractice
    2 parts
    • Professional Malpractice
    • Knowledge Check
  • Duty Element in General
    3 parts
    • Duty Element In General - Part 1
    • Duty Element in General - Part 2
    • Knowledge Check
  • Understanding Subpoenas
    2 parts
    • Understanding Subpoenas
    • Knowledge Check
  • Confidentiality in Collection Case
    2 parts
    • Confidentiality in Collection Case
    • Knowledge Check
  • Dual Relationships
    2 parts
    • Dual Relationships
    • Knowledge Check
  • Risks When Exceeding Licensed Practice Areas
    2 parts
    • Risks When Exceeding Licensed Practice Areas
    • Knowledge Check
  • Summary
    4 parts
    • Summary
    • Thank you!
    • Ethics & Malpractice Issues Transcript
    • Visit Rapid Resolution Therapy
  • Questions and Answers
    2 parts
    • Question and Answer Session
    • Knowledge Check

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYSEDSW)

    CE Learning Systems SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0060.

  • New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYSEDPSY)

    CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0016.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYSEDMFT)

    CE Learning Systems dba CE-Credit.com & AddictionCounselorCE.com is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.

  • Joint Accreditation

    Joint Accreditation (JA)

    In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive up to 3 ethical continuing education credits.

FAQs

  • Course Completion
    To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 70% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation. Your certificate will be available to download immediately when you pass the course exam and complete the evaluation.
  • CELS Grievance
    If a grievance arises pertaining to continuing education activities or processes, please contact Tyler Gibson via confidential email to tyler@celearningsystems.com as soon as possible, so that the nature of the concern may be addressed in a timely fashion.
  • Disability Accomodations
    ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs prior to registering for the course by sending an email to support@ce-go.com or by calling us at 888 498 5578.
  • Target Audience
    This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.
Ethics and Malpractice Issues
You Have Completed This course
$37
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    3
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    Mar 20th, 2025
  • Expires on
    March 29th, 2026

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