Meeting ethical and legal standards is foundational in the provision of competent mental health and recovery service. Many dimensions of these standards are clear and have remained constant over the years. Yet others continue to evolve, and mental health professionals (MHPs) routinely confront complex and ambiguous ethical and legal situations, particularly when working with children and adolescents. The purpose of this course is to give MHPs an opportunity to renew and sharpen their ability to engage in knowledgeable and effective ethical decision-making, and to understand and apply ethical and legal standards to challenges inherent in clinical work. The course also has the goal of assisting participants in better managing the risks of clinical practice. It will be taught at an intermediate level, and is appropriate for currently licensed professionals and advanced pre-licensed professionals. This course meets and exceeds the Board of Psychology’s mandated ethics and law update requirement, and the Board of Behavioral Sciences 6 hour update requirement.

Educational Goals and Learning Objectives:

1. Describe three problems with and strategies to overcome cognitive/affective decision making errors.
2. Describe two elements of an ethical approach to challenging racism and oppression in clinical practice.
3. Summarize three developments in limitations on confidentiality in California.
4. Define two challenges to evidence-based practice in behavioral health services.
5. Recognize two issues in providing cross-jurisdictional telehealth.
6. Identify two main steps in structuring supervisory relationships so as to enhance clarity of expectations and reduce risks.