Sequence III - Ethical Decision Making and Risk Management in Clinical Practice

Today, psychologists practice with increased ethical and legal attention in order to reduce the likelihood that disciplinary complaints or malpractice suits may be filed against them.

Psychologists must learn new strategies on how to deal with these challenges should they occur. Many “rule based” risk management strategies have been developed to give psychologists concrete guidance for dealing with potential disciplinary actions and civil suits. Consequently, some psychologists have lost sight of the fundamentals of ethical decision-making and clamor for “cookbook approaches” to risk management. In their desire to solve any problem quickly, they no longer engage in an active decision-making process when faced with difficult issues.

This workshop focuses on the fundamental “how tos” of ethical decision-making when confronted by ethical dilemmas. Attendees will become familiar with the fundamental tenets of healthcare ethics and how they apply to the practice of psychology. They will also review the basic legal strategies and ethical principles that apply to psychological practice. Finally, all participants will have the opportunity to apply the principles to specific ethical dilemmas in small group discussions. These discussions will focus on resolving specific case examples in a fashion consistent with the fundamentals of good clinical practice.

Instructor: Jeffrey N. Younggren, Ph.D., ABPP

[Note] This webinar was filmed in 2009 and may not reflect the most current information and laws regarding this topic.

Learning Objectives

• Describe how these fundamentals drive the development of ethics codes and professional standards.
• Identify where these fundamentals are specifically expressed in the law and in the 2002 APA Ethics Code.
• Discuss the primary provisions of the 2002 APA Ethics Code.
• Identify how the law impacts ethics codes and the relationship of ethics to law.
• Describe how to use the ethical fundamentals in decision-making.
• Describe how to interact with other colleagues on specific ethical dilemmas, arriving at ethically based decisions on how to deal with difficult cases.

Important Notice

Because this webinar is on-demand, once you are registered and have created a login account, you can view the webinar at any time in whatever time increments are most convenient. In order to download your CE certificate, receive CE credits, and become eligible for a discount on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance policy premium, you must:

• Complete the entire webinar,
• Pass a brief exam, and,
• Complete a brief evaluation form.

You are required to achieve a passing score of 75 percent or higher. You are allowed three attempts to successfully complete the exam. If you are unsuccessful on the third attempt, you must re-purchase the course to try again.

Eligibility for Insurance Premium Discounts

• Completing one of The Trust’s Ethics and Risk Management Webinar Sequences earns 6 CE credits and eligibility to receive a 15% premium discount on Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Insurance for the next two consecutive renewal periods.
• To obtain CE discounts, download and submit CE certification for this webinar (completed within the previous 15 months) with your insurance application/renewal.
• Discounts are not applicable to Researcher/Academician or Student policies.
• Group policies become eligible for CE discounts when at least 50% of individuals insured under the group policy submit CE certification totaling the number of credits needed for a particular percentage discount.
• All applications are individually underwritten and submission of CE certification will not guarantee insurance policy issuance or renewal.

Continuing Education Credits

The Trust is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Trust maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The Trust is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0019.

Continuing Education Grievance Policy

The Trust is fully committed to conducting all activities in strict conformance with the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists. The Trust will comply with all legal and ethical guidelines for non-discrimination in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of CE participants. The Trust CE Director is responsible for complying with these standards.

While the Trust strives to assure fair treatment for all participants and to anticipate problems before they occur, occasionally grievances may be filed. In cases where a participant files a written or oral grievance, the following actions are taken:

• If the grievance concerns the content of the workshop, webinar, book or the continuing education test, a Trust representative will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the CE Director or a Trust representative will either provide a credit for a subsequent CE offering or provide a partial or full refund of the CE fee already paid.
• Actions involving a credit or a refund will require a written note documenting the grievance for record-keeping purposes. The aggrieved individual need not sign the note. If the grievance specifically concerns The Trust, the CE Director or Trust representative will attempt to arbitrate.

Direct correspondence to:

Continuing Education
The Trust
111 Rockville Pike, Suite 700
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone: (800) 477-1200

Email: grievances@trustinsurance.com

NOTE: This information is provided as a risk management resource and is not legal advice or an individualized personal consultation. At the time this resource was prepared, all information was as current and accurate as possible; however, regulations, laws, or prevailing professional practice standards may have changed since the posting or recording of this resource. Accordingly, it is your responsibility to confirm whether regulatory or legal issues that are relevant to you have since been updated and/or to consult with your professional advisors or legal counsel for timely guidance specific to your situation. As with all professional use of material, please explicitly cite The Trust Companies as the source if you reproduce or distribute any portion of these resources. Reproduction or distribution of this resource without the express written permission of The Trust Companies is strictly prohibited.