Legal and Ethical Issues when Supporting System Involved Youth

Rachel Michaelsen, LCSW

Training Description

There are numerous legal and ethical issues specific to working with system involved youth in community-based organizations and school settings. They include consent to privacy; use of electronics to dual relationships; minor consent for mental health treatment; mandatory reporting laws; and foster youth’s rights to reproductive health services and information. Through case vignettes, discussions and lecture, participants will explore the intricacies of these issues.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to explain when and who can consent for a system involved minor’s mental health treatment.

2. Participants will be able to explain foster youth’s rights to reproductive health care and how to maintain client privacy while using technology within efforts to support system involved youth.

3. Participants will be able to explain when they are required to make mandatory reports, who to contact when making at least two types of mandatory reports, at least two ways to make mandatory reports, and when a dual relationship exists and presents a legal or ethical dilemma.

Agenda

9:30-9:45am-Overview of Course and Introductions

9:45-11:00am-Consent for treatment

· Minor consent

· Parental/Caretaker consent

· In cases of divorce

11:00-11:15am-Break  (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

11:15am-12:30pm-Privacy issues

· Ethical use of technology while maintaining privacy

   o Texting

   o Email

· Privacy – Communication

· Privacy – Electronic Interventions

· Subpoenas

12:30-1:00pm-Lunch  (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

1:00-2:30pm-Mandatory reporting

· Child abuse

· Elder abuse

· Sexual Activity

· Duty to Warn

· The Patriot Act

· Teacher/School Staff

· Self-Harm

2:30-2:45pm-Break  (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

2:45-4:00pm-Dual relationships

· Ethical Standards

· Protecting Clients

· Determining What is Appropriate and What is Not

· Regarding Social Media

4:00-4:30pm-Foster youth’s rights to reproductive   health services and information

· AB 89

· Youth’s rights to health care

4:30pm -Adjourn

Meet Our Trainer

Rachel Michaelsen, LCSW, is a clinical social worker who has worked in HMOs, public agencies, and private practice as both a mental-health provider and a supervisor for over thirty years. She has taught courses in DSM-5, clinical supervision, law and ethics, childhood psychopathology, time management, boundaries, vicarious traumatization and energy psychology at universities, conferences, and mental-health agencies. She has a private psychotherapy practice, which has been exclusively been online since 2020 and is also the recent past chair of the Humanitarian Committee for the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology.

This course meets the qualifications for (6.0) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.