Florida Ethics Course for Psychologists
Fulfills requirement: Florida requirements for ethics for Psychologists
Professional ethics guide the practice of psychology, assuring that the delivery of services is provided in a way that best serves those receiving services. As codes of ethics and statutes change and evolve over time, it is imperative that practicing professionals remain current in their knowledge of current standards.
The intermediate level course is comprised of two parts. Section 1 includes a discussion of the standard of care and how it is derived along with the APA Code of Ethics, HIPAA guidelines. Laws and statues specific to the state of Florida, including telemental health and the prohibition of sexual contact, are provided as well. Content describes the most recent 2023 and 2024 updates to HIPAA and Florida law including the new HIPAA Privacy Rule.
The second section contains an article discussing ethical guidelines around confidentiality and the duty to warn.
Educational Objectives
This course will teach the participant to
- Identify the Standard of Care from the various perspectives from which it is derived.
- Analyze possible sources of ethical conflicts among professional, federal, and state regulations.
- Discuss issues related to confidentiality in special circumstances (i.e., minors, couples, families, groups, subpoenas, and court orders).
Syllabus
Section 1
What Are Ethics and Why Do They Matter?
Standard of Care
- Definitions of standard of care
- Eight elements from which standard of care is derived
- What the standard of care is and is not
- Compliance with standard of care
- Applications of the standard of care
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
- General principles
- Ethical standards
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Privacy rule
- Security rule
- Breach notification rule
- Safe Harbor Law
- Important HIPAA 2024 updates
- Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records
- Privacy Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care
State of Florida Regulations for Psychologists
- Training, licensure, and licensure renewal
- Privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and access to records
- Telemental health and PSYPACT
- Protections of Medical Conscience
- Sex between therapists and clients
- Human trafficking
Managing Ethical Conflicts
- Practical recommendations
- Preemption Analysis
Section 2:
Confidentiality in Psychotherapy and Counseling
- Limits of confidentiality
- Consent agreements
- Subpoenas and court orders
- Unintentional release of information