Terry Casey – Ethics with Minors for Ohio Mental Health Professionals: How to Navigate the Most Challenging Issues

Outline

WHY WORKING WITH MINORS IS DIFFERENT

• Vulnerability and power differentials
• Federal and state laws outlining legal responsibilities
• Issues involved with older adolescents

CONSENT RULES AND ISSUES INVOLVING MINORS

• Consent vs. assent
• Who can provide consent?
• Parental rights and consent rules
• Special rules for older adolescents
• Informed consent process

WHEN A MINOR IS (AND IS NOT) A CLIENT

• When does an individual become a client?
• Personal representatives
• Ethical vs. legal considerations

CONFIDENTIALITY STANDARDS AND LIMITS WITH MINORS

• Limits of confidentiality
• Communications with minors and parents
• Progressive scenarios technique
• Parental agreements

PARENTAL RIGHTS…AND WRONGS

• Default rights
• Special situations
• Exceptions

CONTROL OF MINORS’ RECORDS

• Health care vs. educational records
• HIPAA vs. FERPA
• Who has access?
• Responding to requests for records
• Clinical records and psychotherapy notes

CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF DIVORCED PARENTS

• Informed consent process
• Parenting plans
• Other legal considerations
• Case example

MANDATORY REPORTING: THE “WHAT”, “WHEN” AND “TO WHOM”

• Mandatory reporting laws
• Federal definition of child abuse
• State laws
• Ethical considerations
• Case example

BOUNDARY ISSUES WITH MINORS

• Social media policies
• Multiple relationships
• Power differentials
• Virtual relationships
• Texting and messaging
• Case examples

PHYSICAL TOUCH

• When it is appropriate, and when it is not
• Informed consent
• Organizational policies
• Case example

Faculty

TERRY CASEY, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, HSP health service provider with over 30 years of professional experience, including a 16-year tenure as the director of counseling & psychological services for a non-profit agency with over 30 counselors at over a dozen locations. He is in private practice in Franklin Tennessee, teaches ethics and professional issues in counseling at Lipscomb University’s graduate program in clinical mental health counseling, and guest lectures at Trevecca Nazarene University’s PhD program in Clinical counseling. Dr. Casey also served for several years as the chair of the ethics committee for the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors’ Association and in an advisory capacity for graduate counseling programs at two universities. He has presented frequently on ethics to organizations such as the American Counseling Association, the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association, the Nashville Area Association of Christian Counselors, and others.