Dynamic, evidence-based training for mental health professionals on critical areas of client care, from culture, privilege, and antiracism, to law and ethics, to telehealth including California state laws for mental health practitioners, telehealth across state lines, and setting up the telehealth technology to have a seamless experience for clients.
Currently available courses include:
- California Telehealth Law & Ethics – course can can be tailored to present to clinicians practicing in any U.S. state
This course trains on clinical, ethical and legal issues and best practices for providing therapy via telehealth, including client confidentiality, security, and privacy requirements from federal HIPAA/HITECH rules, with special considerations for informed consent, safety planning, and crisis management. Regulations for telehealth across state lines and licensure are fully explained. The core course focuses on California-specific state law for mental health care over telehealth, however these California rules can be considered best practice for telehealth in any region, and so the content is appropriate for and relevant to practitioners anywhere. This training is based on ethical codes from professional organizations including CAMFT, AAMFT, ACA and NBCC around distance counseling. It meets the California BBS requirement for 3 hours of telehealth training including law and ethics, and can also be counted towards the 36 CEs needed for renewals, plus it is entirely law and ethics content and so can be counted as 3 Law & Ethics CEs towards that renewal CE requirement as well. - California Mandatory Reporting and Involuntary Admission
Navigating clinical situations where a client presents as a danger to self or others is incredibly challenging. This 3-hour practical course covers the legal and ethical aspects for California mental health clinicians in assessing for threat of harm and enlisting systems of support for a client, including assessing for involuntary commitment – with real-world discussion of cases showing both positive and negative outcomes, especially for clients holding marginalized identities. - California Working with Minors
This 3-hour law and ethics course is designed for therapists seeking to enhance their understanding of the unique ethical, legal, clinical, and cultural considerations involved in providing mental health care to minors in California. Participants will explore essential topics such as informed consent, confidentiality, risk assessment, and culturally competent care. The course explores the circumstances of parent-involved care and discusses planning needed when minor clients do not have caregivers in the treatment. An ethical decision-making framework will be presented to guide a discussion of a clinical case. Participants will gain practical knowledge about the laws, guidelines, and best practices involved with providing effective, ethical, and culturally sensitive therapy to minors. - Culturally Sensitive Diagnosing
This 2-CE course covers cultural and clinical aspects of mental health diagnosing using the DSM-5-TR. The course will explore the impact of cultural factors, such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, on the diagnostic process. Assessment tools will be presented to support evidence-based practices in learning about clients’ presenting concerns. Clinician decision-making such as collaborative discussions with clients on their diagnosis, and client-centered documentation, are included. Participants will be better equipped to provide accurate and respectful diagnoses that take into account the unique experiences and cultural backgrounds of their clients. The perspective offered is that diagnosing entails critical thinking with compassion, in a way that supports client-centered care while establishing medical necessity for treatment. - Defensive Documentation: The Laws & Ethics of Advocating & Protecting Our Clients through Clinical Notes
How can mental health professionals appropriately comply with the requirements of health insurance plans in documenting medical necessity for psychotherapy treatment while also protecting clients holding vulnerable identities from being exposed to possible governmental intrusion into their lives? The Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association clearly states that counselors have a duty to avoid harming their clients, and to advocate on behalf of clients to address potential barriers that inhibit access or the growth and development of clients. This two-hour, 2-CE workshop is designed for practicing counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other mental health professionals who are concerned about the rapidly changing macro environment in the United States which may put clients at risk of harm, and who want to be proactive in adopting client-centered, protective practices of care in their documentation. Qualifies for 2 Law & Ethics CE hours. - Increasing Our Understanding of Racism and Antiracism for White Mental Health Clinicians
Racism is still experienced by clients and counselors of color. The forms that racism takes in U.S. society today are different from a generation ago when segregation, open harassment, and discrimination were the norm – or before that, when overt violence and even lynching were common. Today, racism has gone underground in ways that make it harder to detect in society, partly because it is so integrated into our culture. This one hour presentation introduces the concepts of modern racism and everyday racism to counselors, describing their manifestations in modern culture and in the counseling room, and highlights options for antiracist actions that can be deployed to counter them in our relationships with our peers, students, and clients.
Consulting is also available to organizations who are focusing on creating cultures where everyone of all identities feels a sense of belonging.