Sequence XII - Navigating Challenging Conversations: Ethics and Risk Management

For over 20 years, The Trust has been the premier resource for psychologists seeking to elevate their risk management strategies through live workshops, webinars, and expert consultation. Drawing on insights from over 110,000 professional consultations, our consultants have curated this workshop to address the specific, high-stakes problems seasoned practitioners face today.

This 12th installment in our series focuses on applied, strategic methods to keep you grounded in ethical practice while protecting your career from legal and disciplinary exposure. Moving beyond the basics, the session explores the complex dynamics of "challenging conversations" across a variety of professional contexts. Specific topics include handling the impaired or unethical colleague; addressing race and microaggressions; navigating record keeping and the Information Blocking Rule; and managing the nuances of mandated child abuse reporting. Additionally, the presentation will cover conflicts of interest in collateral versus conjoint services, reducing risk in cross-jurisdictional telepsychology, and safety protocols for responding to patients or clients who engage in stalking, threatening, or harassing behaviors.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe at least five basic principles of ethics and risk management, as applied to several specific clinical situations that frequently arise in professional practice.
2. Identify three risk factors and warning signs of distress/impairment in ourselves and our colleagues, and list three primary interventions for managing professional distress/impairment, and delineate two factors to consider when preparing for a conversation with a potentially impaired colleague and for deciding the appropriateness of a formal or informal ethical resolution.
3. Describe two methods for effectively engaging in challenging conversations regarding race and ethnicity with colleagues, supervisors/supervisees, and patients/clients.
4. Define the Information Blocking Rule and explain two strategies for ethically managing risk related to this rule.
5. Identify three types of immunity provisions that protect psychologists who make mandated child abuse reports; and list three steps psychologists can take to minimize their risk in these situations.
6. Apply at least two risk management strategies for decreasing risks when involving collaterals in treatment and/or providing conjoint psychological services.
7. List four broad categories of factors to consider when determining whether to provide cross-jurisdictional telepsychological services.
8. Discuss four strategies for ethically and safely managing patients/clients who exhibit stalking, threatening, or harassing behaviors.

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

• You can combine 6 hours of CE from any of The Trust’s on-demand webinars, bundles, and Sequence Workshops to save 15% on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability insurance premium for two consecutive renewal periods.
• You can combine 4 hours of CE from any other continuing education program authorized by APA to offer CE and save 5% on your Trust Sponsored Professional Liability insurance premium for one year.
• To obtain CE discounts, download and submit CE certificates (totaling 4 or 6 hours as explained above and completed within the previous 15 months) with your insurance application or policy 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.