skip navigation

Not in the United States?
change your preferences.

Legal and Ethical Dimensions for Mental Health Professionals

• By Patrick B. Malley, Eileen Petty Deklewa

• Price: $38.95
• Binding: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Published by: Taylor and Francis
• Publication Date: 1st January 1999
• ISBN: 978-1-56032-687-8

About the Book

The legal system's impact and influence on the mental health profession has never been greater. Whether as a witness, plaintiff, or defendant, it is likely that a professional will have some kind of interaction with the law at least once in his/her career. More than ever, it is essential that psychologists, social workers, and counselors have a working knowledge of the legal and ethical mandates to which they will be held accountable.

Legal and Ethical Dimensions for Mental Health Professionals is a complete guide to the law and ethics as they relate to clinical practice. These issues can often be very confusing as values and rules change based on clients and context. For example, a school counselor who works with children is bound by different rules of confidentiality than a psychologist who counsels adults. To simplify such issues, the authors divide information into the legal and ethical rules appropriate for various types of clients in a number of settings.

The book opens with an explanation of the history of law related to mental health professionals, including a description of how and why laws related to clinicians are enacted. It then focuses on the therapist-client relationship and examines the many points at which legal and ethical considerations intersect with the practice of therapy.

This comprehensive look at the standards of law and ethics is essential reading for not only graduate and doctoral level students in the mental health fields, but also practicing professionals.

Table of Contents

The Counselor's Odyssey. Today's Counselor. Principle Ethics- Virtue Ethics. The Counselor in an Ethical Context. The Counselor in a Legal Context. Other Legal Terminology- Its Application to Counseling. Client Records. Counseling Minors. Counseling Special Populations. Ethical and Legal Issues in Group Counseling. Ethical and Legal Issues in Marriage and Family Counseling. Summary.