Find Your Board CE Requirements & Accreditations:
Return to Course List

California Law and Professional Ethics (6 hours)

Author: Heidi Dalzell, Psy.D. , Teresa Crowe, PhD, LICSW , and Claudia Dewane, D.Ed., LCSW
(Click author's name for bio)

Course Created: 2022

Practice Level: Intermediate

No book to buy Duration: 6 hours
4.6 out of 5.0, Based on: 57,414 reviews

Course Summary

This course meets the California Law and Ethics continuing education requirements contained in the Statutes and Regulations Relating to the Practices of Professional Clinical Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Educational Psychology, [and] Clinical Social Work. The learning material is divided into five parts. Part I provides a review of California-specific laws and professional ethics. Part II focuses on legal and ethical issues in treating victims of domestic violence. Part III provides a comprehensive look at the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a key topic for providers who take third-party reimbursement. Part IV of this learning material discusses the provision of telehealth. Part V provides an alternative lens through which to look at ethical issues, using the framework of medical errors and root cause analysis.

Course Format

This course contains downloadable online lessons (PDF) and a practice test. When you're ready, purchase the course by clicking the "Add To Cart" button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

  • Discuss the scope of practice for mental health professionals, including ethical codes and legal requirements.
  • Define confidentiality and informed consent.
  • Explain relevant California laws governing professional practice, including laws regarding minors’ consent and confidentiality, mandated reporting, and laws governing subpoenas.
  • Explain achieving and maintaining professional competence, including self-assessing for burnout and developing cultural competence.
  • Describe ethical concerns related to dual relationships, termination, and patient abandonment.
  • Describe the role of the mental health professional in working with domestic violence cases, including advocacy, navigating systems, and safety planning.
  • Discuss ethical and legal issues related to domestic violence.
  • Discuss the components of HIPAA, including its established ethical and legal requirements.
  • Describe the informed consent procedure, including the Notice of Privacy Practices and patient access to information.
  • Identify the types of technology available for telemedicine.
  • Recognize the ethical principles related to the practice of telehealth, including confidentiality and privacy.
  • Explain best practices in telehealth, including risk management and working with different populations.
  • Define patient safety goals and medical errors in behavioral health.
  • Explain how root cause analysis analyzes medical errors.
  • Identify medical errors common in mental health.

Course Syllabus

PART I. CALIFORNIA LAW AND ETHICS

SCOPE OF PRACTICE FOR THE PROFESSIONS

  • Content of Statutes and Regulations Relating to the Practices of Professional Clinical Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Educational Psychology, Clinical Social Work
  • Ethics vs. Law
  • Licensure of Mental Health Professionals
  • Confidentiality
  • Confidentiality and Minors

MANDATED REPORTING

  • Defining Abuse
  • Recognizing Abuse
  • Reporting Abuse

ADVERTISING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

DUTY TO PROTECT (TARASOFF AND EWING)

ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING COMPETENCE

  • Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
  • Competence with Cultural/Linguistic Minorities and Non-Discrimination in Providing Services

INFORMED CONSENT

MULTIPLE OR NONSEXUAL DUAL RELATIONSHIPS

  • Online Relationships
  • Consequences to the Therapist of Boundary Violations

SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS

  • Warning Signs of Sexual Inappropriateness
  • Consequences of Sexual Boundary Violations

TREATMENT TERMINATION AND CLIENT ABANDONMENT

PART II. ISSUES IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

  • Intimate Partner Homicide
  • Other Losses

REPORTING INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

  • Advocacy
  • Navigating the Systems
  • Ethical Considerations: Confidentiality

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SAFETY PLAN

PART III. THE HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)

COMPONENTS OF HIPAA

  • Healthcare Portability
  • Protected Health Information
  • HIPAA Privacy Standards

WHO IS A “COVERED ENTITY”?

INCIDENTAL USES AND DISCLOSURES OF HEALTH INFORMATION

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

PATIENT ACCESS TO RECORDS

  • Therapy Notes vs. the Clinical Record
  • Forensic Services

HIPAA SECURITY STANDARDS

PART IV. CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PROVISION OF TELEHEALTH

THE ROLE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEHEALTH

TELEHEALTH TECHNOLOGY BASICS

  • Types of Technology
  • Secured vs. Unsecured Technology
  • Platforms

COMMON TELEHEALTH ETHICAL ENCOUNTERS

  • Creating an Informed Consent Form for Telehealth
  • Practicing Telehealth Etiquette

BEST PRACTICES IN TELEHEALTH

  • Orientation to the Technology
  • Video Etiquette
  • Multicultural Considerations

RISK MANAGEMENT IN DOCUMENTING ENCOUNTERS

ETHICAL ISSUES IN TELEHEALTH WITH CHILDREN, COUPLES, AND GROUPS

  • Working with Children
  • Working with Couples and Families
  • Working with Groups

STANDARDS PERTINENT TO TELEHEALTH

  • Practicing Across State Lines
  • Telehealth Training

PART V. PREVENTING MEDICAL ERRORS: BEST PRACTICES FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

DEFINITION OF MEDICAL ERRORS

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

COMPETENCE

  • Cultural Competence
  • Informed Consent
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • Confidentiality
  • Mandatory Abuse Reporting
  • Duty to Protect
  • Responding to Suicidal Risk
  • Failure to Detect Medical Conditions
  • Termination of Treatment/Financial Aspects

SUMMARY

REFERENCES

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 07/08/21-07/08/24. Social workers completing this course receive 6 ethics continuing education credits.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. Ce4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.

FAQs

Most of our courses will satisfy your CE requirements. However, you can double check by selecting your State and profession at the top of the page.
You can download all the required materials above where it says "Preview the material"
No prerequisites are required for this course.
Yes. Once you read the material and pass your test, you can print your certificate right away from your "My Account" page.
You bet, you can download the course material to your computer. You can then print it off, transfer it to your tablet or whatever works for you. Most folks print of a copy of the test and circle the answers while reading through the material.

How it Works

check

1. Confirm Your
Requirements.

read

2. Read the
Material.

test time

3. Take the
Test.

done

4. Print Your
Certificate.