Using Technology as a Mental Health Professional: Ethical and Legal Implications

Course Description

Modern  technology influences almost every aspect of how we live, socialize,  play, shop, communicate and work. As mental health professionals, most  of us utilize electronic technology for service delivery, communication,  and the maintenance, storage and retrieval of client's sensitive data.  Although mental health practitioners were introduced to digital  technology many years ago, the laws and ethical guidelines governing its  use are struggling to catch up. In this workshop, essential  technology-related state and federal laws, regulatory standards and  professional Codes of Ethics will be examined.   The fundamental  professional standards of informed consent, privacy and confidentiality,  competence, and conflicts of interest will be highlighted.

Course Objectives:

1.  Cite the various laws, ethical guidelines and regulatory standards  that impact the use of digital technology in mental health practice. 2.  Apply the information received to guide in the development and  implementation of technology-related policies and procedures. 3.  Apply, analyze and integrate ethical and legal principals into the  use of digital technology in mental health practice.