Standard of Care in Psychotherapy and Counseling: Shedding Clarity on an Elusive Standard

Fulfills requirement: Course fulfills, fully or in part, the Ethics & Law requirements for psychologists in CA and for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and addiction counselors in other states. Verify requirements with your state board.

This intermediate level course reviews one of the most important terms in psychotherapy, the standard of care. For a psychotherapist to successfully be sued by a plaintiff, a negative or unfortunate outcome is not enough. Plaintiff must establish that the therapist acted below the standard of care. Similarly, administrative judges or licensing boards may sanction a psychotherapist if they find that the therapist operated below the standard of care. It is therefore of extreme importance that psychotherapists and counselors understand the parameters that define the standard of care, practice within the standard, and learn ways to document that they did not practice below the standard.

This course is comprised of two audio presentations with transcripts provided. The first audio includes an extensive presentation on the general aspects of standard of care in psychotherapy. The second audio covers specific standard of care summaries and guidelines regarding confidentiality, termination, and dual relationships in psychotherapy.