Tag Archives: Mental Health

Preventing Medical Errors in Social Media

Posted on by

Course excerpt from Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral HealthYour mobile calls and texts can be (and probably are being) snooped and stored, your email can be hacked, your tweets and Facebook posts are available for all the world to see. If you consider bringing your client communications into this realm, what ethical concerns do you need to address? If the concept of privacy is not totally extinct, it is certainly on the endangered list.

All therapists, regardless of age or stage or whether we were trained in this century or another, find ourselves practicing in a digital world. Even in this early part of the 21st century, the list of digital communications applications – mobile devices, email, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, cloud computing, electronic medical records, webcams, etc., etc. – is endless and still growing. As our careers progress, the proliferation of such technologies is likely to continue to challenge our capacity to stay current. With the introduction of each innovation, the threats to reasonably error-free practice will continue to multiply.

As is the case with most innovations, there are benefits and there are risks. The benefits are usually very seductive, promising increased speed, efficiency, and convenience. The risks are usually hidden, requiring thoughtful consideration before they show themselves. The point here, within the context of preventing medical errors in behavioral health, is that the use of this technology has become so routine that clinicians might adopt it mindlessly without carefully thinking through the potential consequences in therapy situations. Sometimes we may even make a conscious decision to trade security for convenience. The results can include unanticipated breeches of confidentiality or the transmission of private information to unintended parties, sometimes leading to severe damage to clients.

According to Pope and Vasquez:

“Technology creates new ways for us to connect with our patients. Geographic barriers fall. Relationships take new forms. We may start and end therapy without ever being together in the same room with the patient… But the benefits come with costs, risks, and occasional disasters. Digital technologies take confidential information that was once confined to handwriting in a paper chart kept under lock and key and spread it over electronic networks.”

Learn more:

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that satisfies the medical errors requirement of Florida mental health professionals. The course is intended to increase clinicians’ awareness of the many types of errors that can occur within mental health practice, how such errors damage clients, and numerous ways they can be prevented. Its emphasis is on areas within mental health practice that carry the potential for “medical” errors. Examples include improper diagnosis; breaches of privacy and confidentiality; mandatory reporting requirements; managing dangerous clients; boundary violations and sexual misconduct; the informed consent process; and clinical and cultural competency. There are major new sections on psychotherapy in the digital age, including the use of social networking systems, the practice of teletherapy, and the challenges of maintaining and transmitting electronic records. Course #21-03 | 2015 | 28 pages | 14 posttest questions

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

Posted on by

Course exerpt from Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence

The essential paradox of family violence is that – while it affects so many individuals so adversely in all sectors of society – it is only minimally discussed because of the stigma and is only poorly understood and confronted by the legal, professional, and social systems that are responsible for protecting and treating victims. Individual cases of abuse frequently go undetected for many years, largely due to the shroud of shame and silence that still persists today, in spite of all efforts to bring domestic violence to light and to justice. It crosses all social and cultural boundaries, including demographic, socioeconomic, and religious strata. The status of family abuse victims has even been compared to that of individuals who had HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s when the disease was “barely recognized, hardly discussed, highly stigmatized, and often ignored or denied” (Fife and Schrager, 2012). While we have made impressive strides in the battle against HIV/AIDS in the last three decades, we have made relatively little progress in the area of family violence.

Child abuse, for example, in spite of progress in protecting the rights of children, remains a dire social issue. Rubin (2012) cites government data indicating that in just one year in the U.S., substantiated cases of child abuse totaled over 700,000 children – about 1.3% of the population of children. To make matters worse, the long-term sequelae include a wide range of serious consequences, such as physical injuries, impaired brain development, behavioral disturbances, substance use disorders, and a variety of psychological disorders. In addition, there are a number of mechanisms by which children who are abused may grow up to become abusers themselves.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is, unfortunately, also a pervasive part of life in U.S. society. In surveys, over 35% of women and nearly 28% of men say they have been raped and/or physically assaulted and/or stalked by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some point in their lifetime (Black et al, 2011). Survivors of these forms of violence may experience physical injury, mental health consequences like depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and suicide attempts. Other health consequences like gastrointestinal disorders, substance abuse, sexually trans¬mitted diseases, and gynecological or pregnancy complications are also common. These findings suggest that intimate partner violence is a serious concern in mental health, criminal justice and public health.

Domestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner ViolenceDomestic Violence: Child Abuse and Intimate Partner Violence is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that will teach clinicians to detect abuse when they see it, screen for the particulars, and respond with definitive assistance in safety planning, community referrals, and individualized treatment plans. Course #20-61 | 2012 | 31 pages | 18 posttest questions

This course is presented in two sections. Part I will deal with the scope, definitional concepts, dynamics, recognition, assessment, and treatment of victims of child abuse. A section on bullying is included, with consideration of a contemporary variant of bullying known as “cyber-bullying.” There is also a section addressing the question of whether abused children grow up to become abusers themselves. A strengths-based model of assessment and intervention is detailed.

Part II will cover similar aspects of intimate partner violence, including women, children, and men. Sections are included on cross cultural considerations and same gender abuse dynamics. Emphasis is on identifying victims of IPV and providing screening and intervention procedures that are intended to empower victims to take control of their own lives. There are sections on the dynamics that influence when/whether abuse victims decide to leave their abusers and how clinicians can prepare for immediate interventions as soon as a client discloses that he/she is being abused.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) to offer home study continuing education for NCCs (#5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346) and Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the TexasBoard of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

This course satisfies the domestic violence requirement for biennial relicensure of Florida mental health professionals.

Breaches of Privacy and Confidentiality in Psychotherapy

Posted on by

Course excerpt from Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health

Among the most elemental foundations of psychotherapy is the expectation that what is communicated with one’s therapist will remain private. Confidentiality violations are a major source of practice error and highly likely to cause harm to patients. There are actually three separate concepts here: privacy, confidentiality, and privileged communication.

Privacy is suggested by the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights (December 15, 1791) of the Constitution of the United States. Basically, it gives people the “right to secure their houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures…” (The United States Constitution). This is the most basic of the three terms (Cato Institute, 1776/2002). It is this historic and essential right that is at some risk of erosion under the problematic tenets of recent legislation like the “Patriot Act.”

Confidentiality agreementConfidentiality is an ethical term which denotes a contract between the client and the therapist in which the therapist promises to keep all utterances confidential, except those disclosures required by law. It is a principle given the most attention in almost all ethics codes and standard of care documents. According to Bernard and Goodyear (2008), this is so because confidentiality represents the essence of psychotherapy – a place where secrets and hidden fears can be disclosed. In more recent, increasingly litigious times, confidentiality has become less of a sacred trust and more of a “step-sibling to safety and judicial judgment.” Nonetheless, its role in the practice of psychotherapy has become no less central, only more complicated. Now the boundaries between the traditional therapeutic contract and considerations of legal liability must be mediated.

Privileged communication is a statutory term that refers to protecting clients from having their confidences publicly revealed during legal proceedings without their permission (Gladding et al., 2001, p. 20). Where such laws apply – and there are a large number of states where they are not legally supported – therapists are prevented from testifying in court about clients without their consent.

There are, of course, exceptions. The Florida Statutes Chapter 491 delineates the exceptions as follows:

491.0147 Confidentiality and privileged communications.–Any communication between any person licensed or certified under this chapter and her or his patient or client shall be confidential. This secrecy may be waived under the following conditions:

(1) When the person licensed or certified under this chapter is a party defendant to a civil, criminal, or disciplinary action arising from a complaint filed by the patient or client, in which case the waiver shall be limited to that action.

(2) When the patient or client agrees to the waiver, in writing, or, when more than one person in a family is receiving therapy, when each family member agrees to the waiver, in writing.

(3) When, in the clinical judgment of the person licensed or certified under this chapter, there is a clear and immediate probability of physical harm to the patient or client, to other individuals, or to society and the person licensed or certified under this chapter communicates the information only to the potential victim, appropriate family member, or law enforcement or other appropriate authorities. There shall be no liability on the part of, and no cause of action of any nature shall arise against, a person licensed or certified under this chapter for the disclosure of otherwise confidential communications under this subsection.

Three items are of note here. 1) Severe harm can come to clients whose therapists do not protect their privacy, ranging all the way from embarrassment to suicidal acts. 2) Harm is done to the profession when therapists demonstrate any disregard for the principles of confidentiality. 3) Confidentiality and its limits must be discussed in the first session of therapy in a competent informed consent process. Informed consent will be the topic of a detailed section later in this course.

Also relevant to a discussion of privacy and confidentiality are the areas of social media use, various forms of teletherapy, and the electronic storage and transmission of private health information. These topics will be discussed later in this course as well.

Confidentiality and HIPAA

Amidst all of the complexities of HIPAA legislation, one consideration will be briefly noted here: “routine” notes vs. “psychotherapy” notes. In short, routine notes are expected to be surrendered to outside parties and psychotherapy notes are expected to remain in the private records of the psychotherapist. Zuckerman (2009, p. 74) offers practical suggestions for sequestering sensitive therapy information that will provide more privacy protection in most cases from routine notes, which contains the nuts and bolts of a regular health care record.

Routine notes: If you mainly record the formalities of the therapy such as your interventions and the client’s responses you may feel comfortable in disclosing this to an insurer and so you have no need for records beyond the routine progress note.

Psychotherapy notes: If there is material which you believe you must record and yet you don’t want it shared with:

• The client because it is your working hypotheses and was of value only at one time. Remember, clients have no access to psychotherapy notes unless you give it
• Insurance companies or others who are not required to protect its confidentially as carefully as your profession requires you to
• Anyone else, because it is too sensitive and potentially damaging to the client or to others
• Other treaters, because they are not and will not be doing the kind of work you are with the client
• But you may want to share the information with professional students for training, or find value and meaning in these notes as you review them….

…the information should be kept in separate psychotherapy notes.

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral HealthPreventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course intended to increase clinicians’ awareness of the many types of errors that can occur within mental health practice, how such errors damage clients, and numerous ways they can be prevented. Its emphasis is on areas within mental health practice that carry the potential for “medical” errors. Examples include improper diagnosis; breaches of privacy and confidentiality; mandatory reporting requirements; managing dangerous clients; boundary violations and sexual misconduct; the informed consent process; and clinical and cultural competency. There are major new sections on psychotherapy in the digital age, including the use of social networking systems, the practice of teletherapy, and the challenges of maintaining and transmitting electronic records. *This course satisfies the medical errors requirement for license renewal of Florida mental health professionals. Course #21-03 | 2015 | 28 pages | 14 posttest questions

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346) and Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Improper Diagnosis is a Medical Error

Posted on by

Course excerpt from Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health

Preventing Medical ErrorsClearly, the failure to arrive at an accurate diagnosis – or diagnoses, in many cases – can be a leading cause of error in behavioral health care. According to the introductory section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), “Reliable diagnoses are essential for guiding treatment recommendations, identifying prevalence rates for mental health service planning, identifying patient groups for clinical and basic research, and documenting important public health information such as morbidity and mortality rates” (p. 5).

While DSM-5 is the latest effort on the part of the American Psychiatric Association, using it is not a simple matter. The introductory section of DSM-5 (p. 5) goes on to state: “Clinical training and experience are needed to use DSM in determining a diagnosis. The diagnostic criteria identify symptoms, behaviors, cognitive functions, personality traits, physical signs, syndrome combinations, and durations that require clinical expertise to differentiate from normal life variation and transient responses to stress.”

To make matters even more complex, DSM-5 recognizes that the latest formulations of mental disorders now conceptualize “many, if not most, disorders on a spectrum with closely related disorders that have shared symptoms, shared genetic and environmental risk factors, and possibly shared neural substrates… In short, we have come to recognize that the boundaries between disorders are more porous than originally perceived” (p. 6).

Porous boundaries? One example of this is the DSM-5 category autism spectrum disorder, formerly split into the DSM-IV categories of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. DSM-5 instructs that individuals formerly diagnosed with one of those DSM-IV categories should now be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. There is one residual category that can be used for individuals who have “marked deficits in social communication, but whose symptoms do but otherwise meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 51). That category is social (pragmatic) communication disorder.

The point here is that the failure to make an accurate diagnosis can be a significant source of error in mental health practice. Diagnosis is challenging on its own, but as time goes on and diagnostic conceptualizations change, clinicians have to engage in perpetual study and training or risk falling behind. Risk areas include inadequate familiarity with contemporary diagnostic science, failure to detect the presence of multiple pathologies, and insufficient cultural competence in caring for culturally diverse patients and families. All of these areas can be addressed by training, experience, and clinical supervision.

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course intended to increase clinicians’ awareness of the many types of errors that can occur within mental health practice, how such errors damage clients, and numerous ways they can be prevented. Its emphasis is on areas within mental health practice that carry the potential for “medical” errors. Examples include improper diagnosis; breaches of privacy and confidentiality; mandatory reporting requirements; managing dangerous clients; boundary violations and sexual misconduct; the informed consent process; and clinical and cultural competency. There are major new sections on psychotherapy in the digital age, including the use of social networking systems, the practice of teletherapy, and the challenges of maintaining and transmitting electronic records. *This course satisfies the medical errors requirement for license renewal of Florida mental health professionals. Course #21-03 | 2015 | 28 pages | 14 posttest questions

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

 

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health

Posted on by

By Leo Christie, PhD; Catherine Christie, PhD and Susan Mitchell, PhD

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that satisfies the medical errors requirement of Florida mental health professionals.

Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral HealthWhen the Florida administrative code first mandated that licensees’ biennial continuing education requirement was to include two hours of training on the prevention of medical errors, there was a considerable amount of grumbling on the part of many licensees in the mental health field. The general sense of it was that – since we do not practice medicine – what is the relevance to our practice? The level of discontent was further amplified by the content requirement proposed by several of the Florida boards, which required specific topics to be included, topics that seemed to be more relevant to medical practice than psychotherapy practice.

Eventually, the courses offered by some accredited providers began to be more closely tailored to the needs of professionals who attend their clients’ psychological and emotional needs rather than to their medical needs. Preventing Medical Errors in Behavioral Health was written to include all of the elements that are required for an approved medical errors course while including topics and case examples that will resonate with both novice and seasoned mental health professionals. While it remains a required course for Florida licensees and satisfies their biennial requirement, it is also intended to be of clinical interest to psychotherapists in other states who wish to increase their awareness of the ways in which clients can be harmed and the many strategies for avoiding such undesirable outcomes. Its emphasis is on areas within mental health practice that carry the potential for “medical” errors. Examples include improper diagnosis; breaches of privacy and confidentiality; mandatory reporting requirements; managing dangerous clients; boundary violations and sexual misconduct; the informed consent process; and clinical and cultural competency. There are major new sections on psychotherapy in the digital age, including the use of social networking systems, the practice of teletherapy, and the challenges of maintaining and transmitting electronic records. *This course satisfies the medical errors requirement for license renewal of Florida mental health professionals. Course #21-03 | 2015 | 28 pages | 14 posttest questions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account after purchasing) to mark your answers on it while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.

CE Information:

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Related Articles:

Caregiver Help: Sex and Dementia

Posted on by

By Elaine K. Sanchez; Alex A. Sanchez, EdD

Caregiver Help: Sex and DementiaCaregiver Help: Sex and Dementia is a 1-hour online video continuing education (CE/CEU) course that explores how Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases impact the brain in ways that can cause some surprising, challenging and inappropriate behaviors. Some people with dementia may develop a heightened interest in sex – even to the point of aggression; experience a waning or complete loss of interest in sex; become addicted to pornography; lose the ability to understand what kind of behavior is acceptable; have a different perception of place and time and a different interpretation of reality from their caregivers; get agitated and upset when their caregivers don’t communicate with them effectively; and behave in ways that are confusing and upsetting to family members and professional healthcare workers. Even so, the patient deserves to be treated with respect and every effort should be made to maintain their dignity. Course #10-86 | 2015 | 55 minutes | 7 posttest questions

This online video streaming course provides instant access to the course video, course handout and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account) and mark your answers on while viewing the video. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.


CE Information:

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

About the Speakers:

Elaine K. Sanchez is an author, speaker and co-founder of CaregiverHelp.com. She co-teaches “Gero 407- Caregiving” at Western Oregon University with her husband Alex, and she writes the daily blog, “Caregiver Help Word of the Day.” She is the author of four books, including Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver and contributes articles regularly to CaringTimes, Griswold Home Care’s blog.

Alex A. Sanchez, EdD, is the co-founder of CaregiverHelp.com, a video-based caregiver support program, and currently co-teaches “Gero 407- Caregiving” with Elaine at Western Oregon University. He earned his Master’s in Counseling and his Doctorate in Educational Psychology at New Mexico State University. He retired from Oregon State University in 2012, after teaching a doctoral program in Community College Leadership for 15 years. Previously he served as President of Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, NM, President of Rio Hondo College in Whittier, CA, Vice President for Community and International Programs at the University of New Mexico, Academic Dean at New Mexico Military Institute, and Founding Director of Dona Ana Community College in Las Cruces, NM.

Florida Mental Health Laws and Rules

Posted on by

By: Leo Christie, PhD

Florida Mental Health Laws and RulesFlorida Mental Health Laws and Rules is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course approved to meet the requirements of a Florida Laws and Rules course as a license renewal requirement for Florida-licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors. It is required every third biennium after initial licensure. Content of this course will include excerpts from the relevant Florida statutes and Administrative Code regulating the practice of social work, marriage and family therapy and mental health counseling, along with interpretive commentary and case examples. Included are Chapter 491 of the Florida Statutes – the practice act for these named professionals, Chapter 64B4 of the Florida Administrative Code – establishing the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy & Mental Health Counseling, and selected sections from Chapters 39, 394, and 456 of the Florida Statutes. Emphasis is on those issues most important for practicing mental health clinicians in delivering ethical, legal, and competent professional services while attending to prudent risk management practices. The goal of this course is to make life easier for clinicians by presenting a brief summary of the relevant laws and rules of practice in the State of Florida, leading to an ever-increasing awareness of and conscious compliance with the particulars of those bodies of legislation.

Course Directions:

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account) and mark your answers on it while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit. Email any questions to [email protected] – we’re here to help!

About the Author:

Leo Christie, PhD, LMFT, is a Florida-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University. Past President of the Florida Council on Family Relations, Dr. Christie is currently CEO of Professional Development Resources, a Florida nonprofit corporation whose mission is to deliver continuing education credit courses to healthcare professionals throughout the United States. He has more than 20 years’ experience in private practice with a specialty in child behavior disorders and as an instructor for over 500 live continuing education seminars for healthcare professionals.

CE Information:

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); and the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346) and is CE Broker compliant (courses are reported within one week of completion).

 

The Mental Health Professional in Long-Term Care

Posted on by

The Mental Health Professional in Long Term Care

 

As the population of the United States ages, more and more healthcare professionals find themselves treating elders – and there will be a significantly increased need for the services of psychotherapists in the years to come.

The Mental Health Professional in Long-Term Care

The Mental Health Professional in Long-Term Care is a new 2-hour online CE course that will provide a framework for providing care in a skilled nursing facility. It is intended to give the clinician an overview of the important aspects of long-term care that affect treatment; including the structure, organization and reimbursement system. The average resident and common treatment areas will also be discussed. Course #20-89 | 2014 | 27 pages | 14 posttest questions

CE Credit: 2 Hours
Course Type: Online
Price: $28

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account after purchasing) to mark your answers on it while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.

About the Authors:

Laura More, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and healthcare author. She earned her Masters of Social Work from Florida State University and has over twenty years of healthcare experience, with a focus on geriatric and head injury rehabilitation. Laura has directed case management, social service, and rehabilitation in skilled nursing, outpatient and inpatient hospital settings. She has managed long-term care rehabilitation from facility, area, and regional positions, with a strong emphasis on training and education of staff and client caregivers in the provision of care for geriatric patients in skilled nursing facilities. Laura was one of the founding partners of Care2Learn, a provider of online continuing education courses for the post-acute healthcare industry. She has authored or edited over 120 online continuing education titles, co-authored evidence-based care assessment area resources and a book, The Licensed Practical Nurse in Long-term Care Field Guide. She is the recipient of the 2010 Education Award from the American College of Health Care Administrators.

Edie Deane-Watson, MS, CCC, CCM, has served in the post-acute care industry in various capacities for 25 years. She developed and managed SNF based rehabilitation programs at the facility and regional level and was one of the founding partners of Care2Learn, a provider of online continuing education courses for the post-acute healthcare industry. In addition, she has worked in acute care, head injury, life care planning, and e-learning. She is currently the Director of Education and Training at American Health Tech, a leading provider of post-acute care integrated software.

CE Information:

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346) and Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Unusual Psychosexual Syndromes: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia & Necrophilia

Posted on by

By Louis R. Franzini, PhD

Human behavior is fascinating, complex, and multi-determined. What someone does in any given instance is caused by an active combination of factors that are psychological, learned, biological, genetic, environmental, and occasionally instinctual. Our understanding of human behaviors is greater than our ability to predict them. Even so, that understanding is far from complete and the extant theoretical explanations are sometimes contradictory and nonscientific.

In general terms, human behavior can be classified as positive, negative, or neutral. A broader classification is to label a target behavior as normal or abnormal. The matter gets more confused when issues of legal and illegal behavior arise, wherein an illegal behavior may not be abnormal and an abnormal behavior may be quite legal.

We now have the latest iteration of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (2013) which serves as the official classification system in the U.S. and many other countries. Mental health disciplines and health insurance companies accept this guidebook as the “bible” of the field.

Unusual Psychosexual Syndromes, Part 1: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia, and NecrophiliaUnusual Psychosexual Syndromes, Part 1: Koro, Autoerotic Asphyxia, and Necrophilia is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that will address three unusual psychosexual syndromes which typically receive scant or no attention in the latest DSM or most abnormal psychology textbooks. The three syndromes presented here are koro, autoerotic asphyxia, and necrophilia. These disorders of course, are relatively infrequent in occurrence, yet they are fascinating illustrations of the extreme forms that human sexual behavior can take.

Clinicians need to be familiar with the entire spectrum of disordered behavior that may potentially be presented by their clients and patients. We will focus primarily on the symptoms and descriptions of the syndromes and assume that therapists and counselors will determine the best treatments to invoke, as based on their own theoretical perspectives and training.

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. You can print the test (download test from My Courses tab of your account after purchasing) and mark your answers on it while reading the course document. Then submit online when ready to receive credit.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

Louis R. Franzini, PhD, received his B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, his M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Toledo, and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavior Modification at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (now Stony Brook University). Following the postdoctoral program Dr. Franzini joined the Psychology Department at San Diego State University, where he spent his entire academic career. He retired as Emeritus Professor of Psychology. His international academic experience included appointments as Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-le-Neuve, Belgium and Senior Fellow in the School of Accountancy and Business, Human Resource and Quality Management Division at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr. Franzini is licensed as a psychologist in Florida and in California.

Florida Mental Health Continuing Education Requirements and License Renewals

Posted on by

Florida Mental Health Continuing Education

Florida Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors have a biennial license renewal with a March 31st deadline, odd years. Thirty (30) hours of continuing education are required to renew a license.

The following courses are required for license renewal:

 

There are no limits on home study. National accreditation accepted: NBCC, APA, ASWB

Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC Provider #5590); by the American Psychological Association (APA); by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Provider #BAP346)

Continuing Education Courses for Social Workers

Caregiver Help Part I: Coping with Anger and Guilt is a 2-hour online video CE course. The emotional stress of caring for persons who are aging, chronically ill or disabled can be debilitating for family members as well as professional caregivers. This course addresses caregiver anger and guilt, and provides a three-step process that helps caregivers develop an attitude of what is described as “creative indifference” toward the people, situations and events that cause them the greatest amount of emotional stress. By gaining insights into how degenerative and progressive diseases affect the life of the caregiver, the mental health professional will be in a better position to empathize with the caregiver’s situation and provide strategies that will help them manage the stress of caring for someone whose situation will never improve. The significance of honoring and supporting caregivers’ feelings and helping them understand the importance of self-care can not only improve their physical and emotional well-being, but can also have a huge impact on the quality of care they are able to provide to their care receiver. This course includes downloadable worksheets that you can use (on a limited basis) in your clinical practice. Course #20-84 | 2014 | 15 posttest questions

Bullying Prevention: Raising Strong Kids by Responding to Hurtful & Harmful Behavior is a 3-hour online video CE course. This video course starts with a thoughtful definition of “bullying” and goes on to illustrate the functional roles of the three participant groups: the targeted individuals, the bullies, and the bystanders. The speaker discusses the concepts of resiliency, empathy, and growth/fixed mindsets, and considers the pros and cons of alternative responses to harmful behavior. Included also are an examination of the utility of zero tolerance policies and a variety of adult responses when becoming aware of bullying behavior. The speaker utilizes multiple examples and scenarios to propose strategies and techniques intended to offer connection, support and reframing to targeted individuals, motivation to change in the form of progressive, escalating consequences to bullies, and multiple intervention options to bystanders. Further segments discuss ways in which schools can create safe, pro-social climates. Course #30-73 | 2014 | 21 posttest questions

Building Resilience in your Young Client is a 3-hour online course. It has long been observed that there are certain children who experience better outcomes than others who are subjected to similar adversities, and a significant amount of literature has been devoted to the question of why this disparity exists. Research has largely focused on what has been termed “resilience.” Health professionals are treating an increasing number of children who have difficulty coping with 21st century everyday life. Issues that are hard to deal with include excessive pressure to succeed in school, bullying, divorce, or even abuse at home. This course provides a working definition of resilience and descriptions of the characteristics that may be associated with better outcomes for children who confront adversity in their lives. It also identifies particular groups of children – most notably those with developmental challenges and learning disabilities – who are most likely to benefit from resilience training. The bulk of the course – presented in two sections – offers a wide variety of resilience interventions that can be used in therapy, school, and home settings. Course #30-72 | 2014 | 53 pages | 21 posttest questions

Online Continuing Education for Marriage and Family Therapists

From Contention to Contemplation: Overcoming Core Impasses in Couples Therapy is a 1-hour online video CE course. Many couples come to therapy emotionally disconnected from each other, polarized by a constant state of struggle and unable to see past the last fight. Couples often engage in a repetitive cycle of interaction, resulting in their feeling stuck and hopeless. Once this reciprocal pattern can be identified, couples can be empowered to break the pattern and learn new ways of relating to one another that better satisfies their needs. The purpose of this course is to train therapists to conduct a strength-based assessment and identify those dynamics in a couple’s interaction that serve to perpetuate unsatisfactory relationship patterns. Therapeutic techniques discussed include diagramming a couple’s vulnerability cycle using pictorial representations and facilitating new patterns by identifying the partners’ beliefs and core premises and providing training in retroactive analysis of conflictual interactions. Course #10-79 | 2014 | 54 minute video | 7 posttest questions

Living a Better Life with Chronic Pain: Eliminating Self-Defeating Behaviors is a 5-hour online CE course. Certainly no one would choose a pain-filled body over a healthy, pain-free body. Yet every day, people unwittingly choose actions and attitudes that contribute to pain or lead to other less-than-desirable consequences on their health, relationships or ability to function. These actions and attitudes are what are called self-defeating behaviors (SDBs) and they keep us from living life to the fullest—if we let them. This course is a self-instructional module that “walks” readers through the process of replacing their self-defeating chronic pain issues with healthy, positive, and productive life-style behaviors. It progresses from an analysis of the emotional aspects of living with chronic pain to specific strategies for dealing more productively with it. Through 16 guided exercises, readers will learn how to identify their self-defeating behaviors (SDBs), analyze and understand them, and then replace them with life-giving actions that lead to permanent behavioral change. Course #50-12 | 2014 | 49 pages | 35 posttest questions

School Refusal Behavior: Children Who Can’t or Won’t Go to School is a 4-hour online CE course. School refusal is a problem that is stressful for children, for their families, and for school personnel. Failing to attend school has significant long and short-term effects on children’s social, emotional, and educational development. School refusal is often the result of, or associated with, comorbid disorders such as anxiety or depression. Careful assessment, treatment planning, interventions, and management of school refusal are critical to attainment of the goal of a successful return to school as quickly as possible. Interventions may include educational support, cognitive therapy, behavior modification, parent/teacher interventions, and pharmacotherapy. Course #40-29 | 2011 | 48 pages | 30 posttest questions

Continuing Education Online for Mental Health Counselors

Economic Distress and Clinical Practice is a 1-hour online video CE course. This is a brief course that defines stress and its physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses and identifies the common indicators of financial stress. It demonstrates a model for performing a financial stress assessment that uses specific tools to identify impact, severity and components of financial stress. It goes on to illustrate a variety of interventions, including thought construct, self-narrative, meaning, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), disputing dysfunctional beliefs, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), learning distress tolerance, and identifying action steps. The course is intended for therapists who are working with clients for whom economic distress is a primary presenting problem. Course #10-80 | 2014 | 63 minute video | 7 posttest questions

Building Resilience in your Young Client is a 3-hour online course. It has long been observed that there are certain children who experience better outcomes than others who are subjected to similar adversities, and a significant amount of literature has been devoted to the question of why this disparity exists. Research has largely focused on what has been termed “resilience.” Health professionals are treating an increasing number of children who have difficulty coping with 21st century everyday life. Issues that are hard to deal with include excessive pressure to succeed in school, bullying, divorce, or even abuse at home. This course provides a working definition of resilience and descriptions of the characteristics that may be associated with better outcomes for children who confront adversity in their lives. It also identifies particular groups of children – most notably those with developmental challenges and learning disabilities – who are most likely to benefit from resilience training. The bulk of the course – presented in two sections – offers a wide variety of resilience interventions that can be used in therapy, school, and home settings. Course #30-72 | 2014 | 53 pages | 21 posttest questions

Autism: The New Spectrum of Diagnostics, Treatment & Nutrition is a 4-hour online CE course. The first section of this course traces the history of the diagnostic concept of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), culminating in the revised criteria of the 2013 version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5, with specific focus on the shift from five subtypes to a single spectrum diagnosis. It also aims to provide epidemiological prevalence estimates, identify factors that may play a role in causing ASD, and list the components of a core assessment battery. It also includes brief descriptions of some of the major intervention models that have some empirical support. Section two describes common GI problems and feeding difficulties in autism, exploring the empirical data and/or lack thereof regarding any links between GI disorders and autism. Sections on feeding difficulties offer interventions and behavior change techniques. A final section on nutritional considerations discusses evaluation of nutritional status, supplementation, and dietary modifications with an objective look at the science and theory behind a variety of nutrition interventions. Other theoretical interventions are also reviewed. Course #40-38 | 2013 | 50 pages | 30 posttest questions