Legal and Ethical Considerations in Clinical Professional Relationships

This course will address legal and ethical issues and dilemmas with regard to professional relationships with clients and others. Topics include (1) dual/multiple relationships and boundaries with clients; (2) professional supervision and consultation relationships; (3) therapist professional values; (4) the four elements holding therapists accountable for their professional behavior; and (5) proper termination and preventing patient abandonment. Literature updates, along with relevant Codes of Ethics and current expert opinion will be included in all areas of discussion.


This class meets the law and ethics requirement for California Psychologists, LMFTs, LCSWs, LEPs and LPCCs, as well as the ethics course requirement for New York, Pennsylvania and other states.

Published: Aug 2023

Format

Online Course

Credits

6.0

Instructor

Pamela Harmell, Ph.D.

Price

$ 119

Course objectives

Legal and Ethical Considerations in Clinical Professional Relationships

  • List the four different elements holding therapists accountable for their work as professionals.
  • Describe how to handle conflicting values related to clients and the ethics code.
  • Identify the four elements of a proper termination.
  • Describe the importance of handling therapist counter transference with regard to professional relationships.

    This class meets the law and ethics requirement for California Psychologists, LMFTs, LCSWs, LEPs and LPCCs, as well as the ethics course requirement for New York, Pennsylvania, and other states.

Instructor

Pamela Harmell, Ph.D.

Pamela Harmell, Ph.D. is a national lecturer specializing in legal and ethical issues in clinical practice. She is a Professor at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and has written extensively in professional publications on ethical practice and has formally studied law. She is a past President of the Board of Psychology. Dr. Harmell is the former Chair of the California State Ethics Committee and is the current Co-Chair of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association Ethics Committee.

Course Lessons

How It Works

  • View the presentation. Classes are broken into small video segments of less than 30 minutes, so you can come and go as you please.
  • Take the quiz. Answer a few questions after each lesson before you move to the next lesson.
  • Complete the course evaluation.
  • Print your certificate and you're done!

We Make It Easy

  • Handouts from the class are available as PDF files to view or print.
  • Once you've purchased a class, you can view it as many times as you like.
  • Login with your email address and password. It takes you to your personal library/dashboard of all classes you have purchased.
  • Over 90% of professionals report being absolutely satisfied with their online experience!

Levels of Classes

All of our classes are offered at the intermediate level unless otherwise indicated. All classes are designed for experienced mental health professionals.

Test Policy

You need a score of 75% or higher in each lesson/module to move to the next lesson/module. Most people pass on their first attempt. You have up to 3 attempts to pass each module. After 3 failed attempts, you need to contact our office and we will reset the quiz for one more attempt. 

Refund Policy

We offer a no-risk guarantee for our online courses. You can view any class for three days, and if not satisfied, contact PPS and we will refund your money in full. This refund offer does not apply if you have completed the class and passed all of the lesson/module quizzes.

Technical Support For On-Demand Courses

Please call 877-777-0668, Monday-Friday from 10 am - 4 pm Pacific Time or email info@psychsem.com.

Questions, Special Needs & Grievances

If you would like additional information, require special accommodations, or have a grievance, please contact Professional Psych Seminars at: toll-free phone: 877-777-0668, phone: 805-371-9443, fax: (805) 371-7443 or email us: info@psychsem.com.

On Demand Course FAQs

How long to I have to complete this class?

There is no time limit. You can take as long as you'd like to complete the class.

Can I sign-up for a class now, even though I don't want to take it for some time in the future?

Yes. Customers often do this when we are running a special, offering you a discounted price.

I lost my certificate. What do I do?

Log in to your account, navigate to the course, and view/print your Certificate.

Do I have to take the entire class at one time or can I stop and come back another time?

You can sign in and out anytime, from any computer, to continue the class. We break our classes into segments of 20 to 30 minutes. You can watch one segment and then come back later. You can even fast forward within a segment.

I am concerned about having to remember everything to take the test. Will this be a problem?

No. We ask you 2 to 3 questions after each 20 to 30 minute video lesson. Answer the questions after each lesson and save your answers. You can come back later and watch another video lesson when you have time. You don't have to remember more than one video lesson at a time. Also, most of our questions are very straight forward. You should have no problem answering them if you've watched the video lesson.

Can you print out the handouts for my on-demand class and send them to me?

No. You can view them online or print them out yourself.

My certificate won’t print. Can you help me?

Hold down the keys Ctrl + P at the same time to access the print screen on your computer.