Presented By Sara Jasper, J.D. CAMFT Staff Attorney - 6 CE Hours

Workshop Description:
Sara Jasper stresses the importance of having a thorough understanding of the laws and ethical standards psychotherapists offering behavioral health services in schools are expected to know and uphold. This lecture is drawn from hundreds of discussions with CAMFT members who work in school settings and addresses a wide variety of applicable legal and ethical issues such as when consent to work with a minor is required and who may give consent; what information should generally be contained in a clinical records; the HIPAA, FERPA, and CA laws and ethical standards to consider when requests for students’ mental health information and/or records are received; laws to consider when hearing about sexual activity between minors; and how to report potential incidences of child abuse and neglect.

Learning Objectives:
1. Assess who may consent for minors’ treatment.
2. Identify what information should generally be contained in a clinical record.
3. Compare and contrast HIPAA, FERPA, and CA laws that are relevant to the treatment of students’ mental health information and/or records.
4. Assess when confidentiality applies and recognize exceptions to confidentiality.
5. Identify when sexual activity between minors is reportable and how to report when child abuse and neglect is suspected.
6. Identify laws and ethical standards that are relevant to the treatment of clients in school settings.