Legal and Ethical Challenges in Clinical Practice

Confidentiality, Tarasoff, Boundaries & Risk Management
About this Event

Practicing with Confidence, Practicing with Care

This interactive, introductory continuing education course equips mental health professionals with the practical tools and frameworks needed to navigate legal and ethical dilemmas in clinical practice and aid clinicians in their daily decision making. Law and Ethics is a vital component of clinical work. Critical topics that will be covered in this course include confidentiality, assessing suicide risk, Tarasoff and requirements for mental health clinicians, and therapeutic relationships and how to avoid boundary violations. This course will help clinicians understand the pitfalls that lead to disciplinary actions and how to avoid those pitfalls. Through case studies and a review of relevant legal precedents, attendees will develop a systematic decision-making model to mitigate liability risks and maintain professional competence.

What You’ll Learn

• Identify three different types of professional boundary violations.
• Describe how to handle conflicting values related to clients and the ethics code.
• Describe the importance of handling therapist countertransference with regard to professional relationships.
• Clinicians will identify potential boundary conflicts, evaluate ethical dilemmas (such as non-sexual dual relationships), and establish clear therapeutic parameters to prevent patient abandonment.
• Practitioners will apply a recognized, systematic ethical decision-making framework to resolve complex clinical situations, such as navigating subpoenas or working with minors.
• Identify ethical boundaries and potential violations vulnerable to countertransference.

Earning Your CE Credit

APA-approved sponsor | 6 CE hours | No prerequisites

You’ll receive your CE certificate after the workshop — just sign in when you arrive, sign out when you leave, and complete a short evaluation.

Venue & arrival

Before You Come

Date

Friday, November 6, 2026 · 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PT

Location

DoubleTree by Hilton Monrovia — Pasadena Area
924 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016

Check-in

Check-in opens at 8:30 AM

Course begins promptly at 9:00 AM · Sign-in Required for CE Credit

Meals

Light breakfast and lunch included

Bring

Photo ID and license number

Diversity & cultural responsiveness

Bias, Values & Ethical Judgment

This workshop will address issues related to bias in decision making. Transference and countertransference including factors related to culture and bias will be included. This course will aid clinicians in analyzing how personal and professional values influence ethical judgement in clinical practice.

Research & references

Grounded in the Literature

American Psychological Association (2022) · Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychotherapy
Corey et al. (2024) · Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions
Koocher & Keith-Spiegel (2016) · Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions
CAMFT (2025) · CAMFT Code of Ethics
American Psychological Association (2017) · Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Alpert & Steinberg (2017) · Psychoanalytic Psychology
Drum & Littleton (2014) · Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Parth et al. (2017) · Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

Agenda
Introduction
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:10 AM
Introduction

Info: Welcome, framing, and how law and ethics shape daily clinical decision-making.

🕑: 09:10 AM - 10:00 AM
Confidentiality

Info: Core confidentiality requirements, including challenges related to the use of technology.

🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
Suicide Assessment and Risk Management

Info: Assessing suicide risk and managing liability in high-stakes clinical moments.

🕑: 10:40 AM - 10:55 AM
Break
🕑: 10:55 AM - 11:35 AM
Tarasoff and Duty to Warn

Info: What Tarasoff requires of mental health clinicians, and how to meet those requirements.

🕑: 11:35 AM - 12:05 PM
Mandatory Reporting

Info: Reporting obligations and how to navigate them in practice.

🕑: 12:05 PM - 12:15 PM
Questions

Info: Open Q&A on the morning’s material.

🕑: 11:45 AM - 01:15 PM
Lunch

Info: Lunch is included!

🕑: 01:15 PM - 01:55 PM
Multiple Relationships

Info: Recognizing and navigating dual and multiple relationships in clinical practice.

🕑: 01:55 PM - 02:55 PM
Therapeutic Boundary Violations

Info: The pitfalls that lead to disciplinary action, and how to establish clear therapeutic parameters.

🕑: 02:25 PM - 03:25 PM
Avoiding Legal Battles of Clients, Subpoenas & Depositions

Info: Avoiding entanglement in clients’ legal disputes and responding to subpoenas and depositions.

🕑: 03:25 PM - 03:40 PM
Break
🕑: 03:40 PM - 04:05 PM
Challenges of Working with Minors

Info: Consent, confidentiality, and the unique legal terrain of treating children and adolescents.

🕑: 04:05 PM - 04:20 PM
Appropriate Termination

Info: Ending treatment ethically and preventing patient abandonment.

🕑: 04:20 PM - 04:30 PM
Questions

Info: Closing Q&A and final takeaways.