ETHICS TRAINING through Deb’s BEYOND ETHICS, LLC
JUNE
2
NOVEMBER
3
Offering 3.0 hours of required Ethics to satisfy your renewal requirements. I always train with case examples and lots of humor, and – most importantly – audience participation with difficult situations, clinically and legally. I try to convey the way to protect yourself professionally – practicing ethically AND self-protectively are not in conflict.
2017 Training Schedule: 3.0 hours of Ethics held at East Jefferson General Hospital on the following three Fridays: February 17th, June 2nd, and November 3rd. All workshops run from 8:45 a.m. to noon.
Ethical, Clinical Practice in the Electronic Age
Description of Workshop:
In my legal consultations with clinicians, as well as in the various groups to whom I present on high-risk clinical practice, I often get asked questions about practicing within this new age of social media and client mobility. I will present the pertinent rules and regulations governing social media and electronic communication with clients. I will also explore the seduction and risks of both and, along with audience participation and case examples, will analyze how to reduce such risks to protect the therapeutic relationship and guard the clients’ confidentiality. Finally, I will teach participants specific steps for responding to subpoenas that compel the release of clients’ clinical records.
Once you are registered for one of the trainings, you will be invited to send me questions or case examples of sticky situations you or others you know have encountered. Your input will enrich our time together and provide great grist for the training mill. Hope to see you in 2017 at East Jefferson General Hospital Conference Center for my Beyond Ethics, LLC trainings!!
NOTE: If you are not on Deb’s email list for Beyond Ethics, LLC trainings and would like to receive notification (or your friend or colleague isn’t getting this email and wants to sign up), please go to beyond-ethics.com and sign up for Deb’s newsletter and training email notices.
What people said about my most recent seminars:
- “Great info – very knowledgeable and great examples. Great reminders as well as some new nuggets.”
- “Could have listened to you all day! Great info. Lots to think about.”
- “Thank you for the best Ethics presentation I have been to in 25 years of practice. Your recommendations for protecting ourselves and our clients were exceptional! I will come to any presentation you have in the future. Thank you so very much!”
- “I always enjoy your trainings. I appreciate your flexibility in regards to discussing audience members’ concerns/experiences.”
- “My third seminar with you — you are great! Keep on teaching this class…”
- “Always great! Thank you! Wish you had more throughout the year… You are engaging and positive.”
- “Excellent! I could not think of anything to improve on this workshop. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
- “I thoroughly enjoyed your training. The intimate setting allowed for increased participation. I enjoyed the relevant examples/cases. I have been to Ethics seminars where the presenter went through the code of ethics (boring!). You discussed relevant issues that stimulated our interest in a fascinating way.”
- “Excellent presentation. Very informative and well thought out frame work. Thanks Deb!”
- “Nice work! Very interesting, especially when examining specific case studies.”
Question/Answer Corner: What’s On Your Mind?
Q: You receive a subpoena asking for therapy records of a client whom you are no longer seeing and have not seen for several years. The subpoena is served on a particular day and asks for the records to be submitted to the attorney the following day. Is this a proper subpoena? What should you do?
A: No, it is not proper service because it does not give you sufficient time to respond. A subpoena has to give the person receiving it a reasonable time to respond and one day is not reasonable. How do you handle this? Should you call the attorney and let him or her know of the problem? Not unless you want your day to get a lot more contentious!
Fax the attorney – if no fax number is listed on the subpoena, call the receptionist and request a fax number without saying who you are. Fax the attorney to let him/her know that you just received the subpoena and cannot respond by the next day. The attorney may have sent the subpoena to the court way ahead of time and the sheriff just did not get it out to you timely. But, you have a right to a reasonable time to respond. And remember the protocol that I recommend for responding to subpoenas.
First, get in touch with your client (if number is no longer good, you can get it from the attorney who sent the subpoena – again, by fax!!). Then, meet briefly with the client to get the Release signed on your letterhead and discuss the litigation and the client’s option NOT to release the records (and inform client that someone would have to have an attorney file a Motion to Quash the subpoena – client’s responsibility to pay for this legal action). If client gives permission for you to release records, fax the attorney again with the invoice for the records and make sure that the courier brings you a check when picking up the records. Do not mail records and wait for a check and do not release to a courier without being paid at that time.
Blog
No new blogs this month. If you have topics that you would like discussed in the blog format, please email them to me. You are welcome to join me in a blog if you like. All ideas and participation welcome!!
Recent blog posts you might be interested in:
Buffaloes, Wind River Reservation of the Eastern Shoshone, and Finding Deeper Meaning in Life
Separation Pondering, Continued
Pondering Separation of All Types
Deb’s Louisiana Law Practice
(1) Case/Clinical/Legal Consultations – can be undertaken via teleconference or in person. Call or email for appointment. Flat fee for up to one hour is charged. I am in New Orleans every month or so to meet with licensees who prefer face-to-face in person consultations, but also can arrange consultations via Skype or video face time (with android phones).
(2) Defense for Licensing Board Complaints – with Social Work, LPC, or Psychology Board. Other health professionals are also represented.
(3) Adoptions – while I do not have an “inventory” of babies, many of my clients have found babies who are available for adoption through friends or relatives. The latter is easier to accomplish because it is an “intrafamily” adoption and much easier to accomplish. Stepparent adoptions are considered “intrafamily” adoptions, too. Private (non-family) adoptions are not extremely expensive, but do require a private Home Study by another social worker and that adds to the cost of that type of adoption.
Legal Services Offered
- Legal Representation & Consultation for grievances (complaints) to licensing boards and/or malpractice lawsuits
- Training & Consultation for Clinicians and Agencies (e.g., respond ethically to subpoenas while protecting yourself and your clients; identify high-risk clients and situations to avoid client disciplinary complaints and harm to clients or third parties)
Deb Henson is an Attorney and LCSW (Tulane School of Social Work, MSW) in private practice in Denver and New Orleans, specializing in mental health licensing defense. She represents clinicians in DORA grievances (CO) and licensing board Complaints (LA) and regularly consults with clinicians in both states to help them deal with legal and clinical conundrums, such as: (1) the receipt of subpoenas for records or testimony; (2) the escalation of high-risk clinical situations; and (3) other sticky ethical wickets that arise in clinical practice. Deb helps clinicians develop self-protective, clinically sound and legally proper strategies for risk prevention.
Deb has been presenting half- and full-day seminars on “Avoiding Ethics Complaints and Malpractice Lawsuits” or “Legal and Ethical Issues in Clinical Practice” around the country through PESI, Inc. for over 7 years and presenting for many CEU groups in Louisiana and Colorado. She also has lectured for Tulane School of Social Work Continuing Education and the University of Texas School of Social Work (Austin) Continuing Professional Development program, and for many other clinical and counseling groups. Deb started her own training biz — Beyond Ethics, LLC — in 2009. Contact Deb for group presentations to agency staff and/or private practice consultation groups.
Deb can be reached through her law and social work web site: www.deborahmhenson.com or through her training web site: www.beyond-ethics.com. Deb can also be emailed at [email protected] or [email protected]. And, you can use the old tried and true method of calling her at 504.232.8884.