Reviews

Some of the participants had this to say about Deb’s training:

• “Deb provides awesome, thought-provoking info. I wish my agency would have had this info available for the clinicians before we went on the stand [at trial].”
• “Deb is such an incredible speaker – and knowledgeable. I really appreciate everything [she] does to advocate for social workers and the mental health profession(s).”
• “Very lively and informative. Made a serious subject clearer.”
• “Great topic and delivery – love Deb’s navigation of the grey areas. Thank you!”
• “Deb presented excellent information that I feel will help me with my practice. Excellent info! Great workshop.”
• “I attend multiple, legal, ethical practice trainings and Deb is excellent in presentation. Thank you!”
• “Great advice about staying balanced/grounded in testifying.”
• “I appreciate Deborah being both a clinician and an attorney. Frightening possibilities regarding DORA, but [she helped me] know what possible protections I can possibly provide for clients and myself.”

Question/Answer Corner: What’s On Your Mind?

Q: If you have a very anxious client, who has terminated precipitously (e.g., by canceling last session(s) via phone or email), should you give a copy of his/her record to the client upon request?

A: My unequivocal answer is “NO!” Why? Because the precipitous termination, coupled with the high anxiety, suggests that the client might be likely to take some of your notes out of context and get even more anxious by reading what you have said about his/her therapy.

But you say, Deb – the client has right to inspect the record, right? Yes, under HIPAA, clients have right to access their records (not the psychotherapy notes without a separate, distinct additional authorization – IF you keep them separate from the rest of the clinical record). But given the nature of the client and the circumstances of the non-termination, the therapist would be most self-protective (always my goal) to offer a free “record-review” session of 10-15 minutes during which time the therapist is sitting with the client and available to answer any questions.

This procedure can be “sold” to the client as follows. “You may not be able to read my handwriting or you may have questions about some of my comments in the record. I keep the notes for me and that means they are not written out in a form that is always understandable to others. I will be happy to see you for a brief period of time while you review your copy of the record and if you have any questions during that review, to answer them as best I can.”

Why offer a free session? Because it serves to protect you – you will get an idea when the former client reviews the notes whether s/he becomes agitated by something that was written. If so, you can try to assuage the anxiety if you are present with the person. This would not be possible if the former client were to review them alone. It is well worth a 15-minute session at lunch break or end of day to protect yourself from a high-risk client getting upset about something you wrote and filing a Complaint (they terminated precipitously for some reason that likely was not that they were happy with you).

Good luck!!

Blog

AND SO IT GOES . . .

Well, it has been a year since I wrote a blog. My web guy is nudging me and I love writing these, but life has been fairly intense over the past year, so I have not taken time to write. Maybe you will better understand why with this blog. And I am setting my intention to write more frequently in this year of 2019.

In brief review –

I spent several months of the latter part of 2017 getting the Colorado house packed up and ready for the move. During that process were the final aspects of buying my new dream home to open the B & B in Northampton, selling my Colorado home to pay for the transition, and driving across the country for four straight days with 2 dogs and 3 cats and my best friend, Sue, and our son, Cody, who was driving the second moving truck. Sadly, my bearded dragon had passed in the summer of 2017, so Mango did not accompany me on this latest move although she (really a he, we found out at the reptile vet a few years ago) was a lively traveler from New Orleans to Denver in 2015!!

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Training/Consultation For Clinicians/Agencies

I have been providing training for high risk clinical situations and legal involvement of the therapist for groups here in Colorado since 2015. I consult with individual practitioners, small groups of clinicians, and agencies to help therapists prepare for deposition or trial testimony, or to handle a subpoena request for clinical records. I also consult with many individual therapists and agencies who need risk prevention consultation (e.g., high-risk clients or legal involvement). Clinical practice in this litigious age has become increasingly anxiety-producing and generally a one-time consultation helps the therapist figure out a plan for a risky situation to prevent it blowing up into a formal grievance.

I can custom tailor training to your particular agency or small group with questions submitted in advance by participants, if desired.

Consultations are conducted in the form of teleconference unless I am in Denver.

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)