Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips IV

2012 Professional Development Resources | http://www.pdresources.org | email: ceinfo@pdresources.org

Title of Course: Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips IV CE Credit: 2 Hours Instruction Level: Intermediate Authors: Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP; Jeffrey N. Younggren, PhD; et al. Abstract:
This course addresses a variety of ethics and risk management topics in the form of 12 archived articles from The National Psychologist. Topics include: the risks and benefits of alternative treatment; Medicare puts providers in peril; the treatment of children whose parents are in the process of divorcing; keeping client needs uppermost in termination; the pitfalls facing psychologists who become involved in their patients custody disputes; security is necessary for test validity; tips for working with the duty to protect; are anger, violence and radical ideologies mental illness or different beliefs?; the role of the psychologist; issues in determining top authorship in publications; managing multiple relationships; and LGBQT issues in psychotherapy. This course is intended for psychotherapists of all specialties.

Learning Objectives:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Identify the risks and benefits of alternative treatment List strategies for working ethically with children whose parents are divorcing Differentiate between the needs of the client and the needs of the therapist during termination Describe appropriate security measures to be used in preserving test validity Name seven tips for working with the duty to protect Differentiate between ideologies that constitute different beliefs and those that constitute mental illnesses Name strategies for identifying and managing multiple relationships

2012 Professional Development Resources | http://www.pdresources.org | email: ceinfo@pdresources.org

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips IV

Be Aware of Risks, Benefits of Alternative Treatment
By Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP Q: Ive been hearing a lot about complementary and alternative medicine lately. Several of my clients mentioned in passing how they really believe in this. One is taking an herbal supplement, another is seeing an acupuncturist and one is practicing yoga. Is this an area I should know about? Should I begin practicing it or is this something that really should be viewed as separate from the clinical work I do? A: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (or CAM) is both new and old. It is new for many psychologists and other health professionals. Empirical support for many CAM modalities is steadily being accumulated and the value of many of them is being increasingly understood. At the same time, a number of CAM modalities have been used for centuries and are accepted by many to be highly effective. CAM includes dietary supplements, meditation, yoga, massage, acupuncture, Reiki, movement therapy, music therapy, aromatherapy, progressive relaxation, hypnosis, biofeedback, chiropractic, tai chi, spirituality and prayer, traditional Chinese medicine and others. Some modalities that have previously been considered alternative health care are now widely accepted as mainstream. Biofeedback, hypnosis, progressive relaxation and mindfulness-based meditation have each become widely accepted. Knowledge of CAM is of great importance for all practicing psychologists, since many of our clients will be utilizing it regardless of our knowledge of it. It was reported that approximately 36 percent of the population in the United Stated used some form of CAM in the previous 12 months (Barnes, Powell-Griner, McFann, and Nahin, 2004). Further, Elkins, Marcus, Rajab and Durgam (2005) found that 64 percent of the psychotherapy clients surveyed reported using at least one CAM modality in the previous year. It is recommended that each intake interview includes detailed questions about the use of CAM. While many CAM modalities may be of great benefit to clients, our failure to know of their use and impact could lead to negative results. For example, clients taking herbal supplements such as St. Johns Wort (widely used to treat depression) and who also may be treated with prescribed antidepressant medication may experience significant interaction effects, some of which may be quite serious (Barnett and Neel, 2000). Further, many clients will underestimate the potential impact of such supplements since they are marketed as natural. But, natural substances taken inappropriately or without sufficient oversight can be harmful. Resources that document the ever-accumulating support for the appropriate use of various CAM modalities are readily available and psychologists should become familiar with them. These resources include Fields Complementary and Alternative Therapies: Research, Lakes Textbook of Integrative Mental Health Care: Foundations and Clinical Applications, and Shannons Handbook of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Mental Health. Additionally, NIHs National Center for CAM website is an outstanding resource: http://nccam.nih.gov. To see more of this course, visit PDResources.org Ethics and Risk Management Expert Tips IV.

2012 Professional Development Resources | http://www.pdresources.org | email: ceinfo@pdresources.org

To take this full course and get 15% off your purchase with coupon code, visit PDResources.org. Use coupon code: 15off

2012 Professional Development Resources | http://www.pdresources.org | email: ceinfo@pdresources.org