ETHICS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONALS

Course overview

This 3 hours ethics continuing education course is designed substance abuse professionals. It is based upon three publications, one developed by the American Psychological Association (APA), the other two developed by SAMHSA. The first source utilized in this course is based on an article published on the APA ¿ American Psychological Association, website about ethics for psychologists and other healthcare professionals. It is a short summary of the frequent ethical problems that are encountered by practicing psychologists and therapists, as well as other healthcare professionals, with guidelines for avoiding problems. It is full of practical tips on how to avoid common ethical dilemmas. The other two documents that are used in this course are publications by SAMHSA and are available at the National Library of Medicine. They are both about the legal and ethical issues that arise when conducting assessments and when treating clients in substance abuse settings. The second article focuses on these issues in adolescents and the third article focuses on older adults. The second article begins with an "overview of the Federal law protecting a youth's right to privacy when seeking or receiving treatment services for substance use disorders. Next is a detailed discussion of the rules regarding the use of consent forms to get a youth's permission to release information about his seeking or receiving substance use disorder services. [The article then] reviews the rules for communicating with others about various issues concerning a youth who is involved with treatment services (including rules for communicating with parents, guardians, and other sources; reporting child abuse; warning others of an adolescent's threats to harm; and special rules for use within the juvenile justice system). The [article also] discusses a number of exceptions to the general rules preventing disclosure of information, such as medical emergencies. The [article] ends with a few additional points concerning a youth's right to confidential services and the need for programs to obtain legal assistance.¿ In the third article, the authors state ¿Screening any population for substance abuse raises key legal and ethical concerns: how one can inquire about an individual's alcohol and drug use while continuing to respect that person's autonomy and privacy. Screening of older adults for substance abuse brings these concerns into particularly sharp focus . . . This paper] examines how the issues of autonomy and privacy (or confidentiality) affect the way providers working with older adults may screen for substance use problems. [It] discusses the relationship between patient or client autonomy and the provider's obligation to inform and counsel the older individual about the health risks of alcohol or other drug use [as well as] privacy of information about substance use problems.¿ The paper specifically addresses ¿How a provider can keep accurate records and communicate with others concerned about the older individual's welfare without disclosing information . . .¿ inappropriately. This course serves as an excellent resource for mental health professionals who would like to build or refresh their knowledge about legal and ethical issues in assessment and screening. For licensed professionals who are required to complete continuing education in law and ethics, this course provides insight into a specialized area of practice and may be a refreshing change from other courses in the area a legal and ethical issues. Come and visit us on the web at www.ce-classes.com