California Law and Ethics for Marriage and Family Therapists (6 CE Hours)

This course meets the 6-hour continuing education requirement in law and ethics for licensed marriage and family therapists in the state of California.

Target Audience: Licensed marriage and family therapists in the state of California

Course Description: This course is based on the CAMFT and AAMFT Code of Ethics, California laws and regulations, California BBS Uniform Standards Related to Substance Abuse and Disciplinary Guidelines, and Professional Therapy Never Includes Sex brochure.

This course includes the following documents:

• Review of California laws and regulations, and ethical standards
• CAMFT Code of Ethics
• California BBS Uniform Standards Related to Substance Abuse and Disciplinary Guidelines
• Professional Therapy Never Includes Sex brochure

This course covers the following subject areas:

• Informed consent
• Confidentiality
• Therapeutic boundaries
• Competency
• Therapeutic relationship
• Privilege
• Suicide intervention
• Involuntary hospitalization
• Duty to protect
• Child abuse
• Elder and dependent adult abuse
• Treatment of minors
• Client records
• Fees and financial arrangements
• Scope of practice
• Therapist-client sex
• HIPAA
• Telehealth
• Disciplinary guidelines

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate the ethical standards for obtaining informed consent, addressing issues such as risks and benefits, confidentiality limits, and fees and financial policies
• Evaluate the ethical standards for confidentiality, addressing issues such as disclosures, releases, and client records
• Evaluate the ethical standards for therapeutic boundaries, addressing issues such as conflicts of interest, conflicting roles, multiple relationships, and sexual intimacy
• Evaluate the ethical standards for competency, addressing issues such as scope of competency, misconduct, and unethical colleagues
• Evaluate the ethical standards for therapeutic relationships, addressing issues such as client autonomy, maintaining records, client access to records, and termination
• Evaluate the legal standards for confidentiality and privilege, addressing issues such as breaking confidentiality, exceptions to privilege, suicide intervention, involuntary hospitalization, duty to protect, child abuse, elder and dependent adult abuse, treatment of minors, and client records
• Evaluate the legal standards for professional conduct, addressing issues such as fees and financial arrangements, scope of practice, therapist-client sex, HIPAA, and telehealth

Course Components:

• Online text (included)
• Multiple choice online exam (included)
• Electronic certificate of completion (free)

Course Credit(s): 6 CE Credits or Hours

Course Format: Online Text (format of this course is noninteractive)

Course Schedule: Self-paced

Course Author(s): Alden Hori, PhD

Content Publisher(s): Alden Hori, PhD, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and California Department of Consumer Affairs, California Board of Behavioral Sciences

Course Author(s) Qualifications:

Dr. Hori earned a PhD in psychology from the University of California at Riverside. Subsequently, Dr. Hori was employed by an education company in the mental health field for over 18 years. He served as an Educational Consultant and Director of Academic Affairs for this organization. His duties revolved around the mental health field, and included: researching the psychological literature to keep abreast of current clinical topics; writing updates for educational courses; developing new educational courses; and presenting over 200 live workshops for psychologists-in-training.

Finally, Dr. Hori was an Associate-In Professor and Research Assistant at the University of California at Riverside, where he supervised the completion of over 50 research projects in psychology. He is credited with three publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Course Level: Beginning/Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced

Reminder: The information presented in this course is for informational purposes only and is not meant to serve as ethical or legal advice. For ethical or legal advice, please contact a professional organization, state licensing board, or attorney.