Standard of Care in Psychotherapy & Counseling: Shedding Clarity on the Ethics of an Illusive Standard

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. The first is an extensive audio presentation on the general aspects Standard of Care in psychotherapy. The second audio covers specific standard of care summaries & guidelines regarding confidentiality, termination, and dual relationships in psychotherapy. Transcripts are provided for all audios. Additional resources and references are provided for further study, but they are not part of the course.