10 Reasons Not to Worry (Too Much) About Malpractice Claims – New 1-Hour Online CE Course

10 Reasons Not to Worry (Too Much) About Malpractice Claims10 Reasons Not to Worry (Too Much) About Malpractice Claims is a new 1-hour online CEU course that presents ten reasons why the risk of a malpractice claim and its consequences are really not very high. Interspersed throughout are ethical points and risk management tips that enable therapists to adhere to very high standards of care, which add up to the best defense against malpractice worries. Sign up @ https://www.pdresources.org/course/index/6/1166/10-Reasons-Not-to-Worry-too-much-About-Malpractice-Claims

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 Illinois DPR for Social Work (#159-00531); 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).

Enhanced by Zemanta

12 Days of Christmas – Daily Deal #8

Our 8th day of Christmas daily deal in our 12 Days of Christmas promotion is:

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips V

CE Credit: 2 Hours
Regular Price: $32
50% Off Today Only: $16!

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips VThis course addresses a variety of ethics and risk management topics in the form of 14 archived articles from The National Psychologist. Topics include: (1) Is it kosher for a psychotherapist to serve as an expert witness? (2) Weighing patient’s rights against psychologist’s rights (3) Techno breaches could cost practitioners big bucks (4) Custody cases require special training (5) Too many rules – Risk Management (6) Pay me now, pay me later (7) Business of Practice and Ethics (8) Not all nations share APA’s ethics standards (9) Student/professor dating always questionable (10) Therapists need a strong back-up plan (11) Ethics primer addresses core issues (12) Wintering south can create ethics problems (13) Confidentiality in the 21st Century – Risk Management (14) The fiduciary heart of ethics. This course is intended for psychotherapists of all specialties. Course #20-69 | 2012 | 25 pages | 15 posttest questions

Click here to order now! Sale ends @ midnight.

Don’t forget to like our Facebook page to be entered in the drawing for a FREE course! Drawings held daily December 14-25.

Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC#5590); the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC #000279); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR #PR001); the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA #AAUM); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA #3159); and various state licensing boards.

Renewal Information for Iowa Psychologists

Iowa psychologists can earn all 40 hours of continuing education through online courses @ www.pdresources.org

Click to view approved online courses

Psychologists in Iowa must renew their licenses every 2 years, on June 30th of even-numbered years. The current renewal deadline is June 30, 2012. 40 hours of continuing education are required to renew, including 6 hours in ethics, laws/regulations or risk management.

Licensees may earn all 40 hours through online courses offered by APA-approved providers.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Over 100 online courses are available at: http://www.pdresources.org/Index.aspx

Continuing Education Requirements:

The biennial continuing education compliance period shall extend for a two-year period beginning on July 1 of even-numbered years and ending on June 30 of even-numbered years. Each biennium, each person who is licensed to practice as a Psychologist in Iowa shall be required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education approved by the board.

A continuing education activity which meets all of the following criteria is appropriate for continuing education credit if the continuing education activity:

  • Constitutes an organized program of learning which contributes directly to the professional competency of the licensee
  • Pertains to subject matters which integrally relate to the practice of the profession
  • Is conducted by individuals who have specialized education, training and experience by reason of which said individuals should be considered qualified concerning the subject matter of the program. At the time of audit, the board may request the qualifications of presenters
  • Fulfills stated program goals, objectives, or both
  • Provides proof of completion or attendance

Licensees shall obtain 6 hours of continuing education pertaining to the practice of psychology in any of the following areas: ethical issues, federal mental health laws and regulations, Iowa mental health laws and regulations, or risk management.

A licensee may obtain the remainder of continuing education hours of credit by:

  • Completing training to comply with mandatory reporter training requirements. Hours reported for credit shall not exceed the hours required to maintain compliance with required training.
  • Attending programs/activities that are sponsored by the American Psychological Association or the Iowa Psychological Association.
  • Completing academic coursework that meets the criteria set forth in these rules.
  • Conducting scholarly research or other activities that integrally relate to the practice of psychology, the results of which are published in a recognized professional publication.
  • Preparing new courses that have received approval from the board.
  • Completing home study courses for which a certificate of completion is issued.
  • Completing electronically transmitted courses for which a certificate of completion is issued.
  • Attending workshops, conferences, or symposiums.

Iowa Board of Psychology: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/licensure/board_home.asp?board=psy

Renewal Information for Maryland Psychologists

Maryland Psychologists may earn up to 20 CE hours online!

Click to view APA-approved online CE!

Continuing Education:

Maryland-licensed psychologists are required to complete a minimum of 40 continuing education (CE) hours during each reporting period to renew their license.

A maximum of 20 CE hours are allowed from independent study courses that are approved by the American Psychological Association.

[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. Over 100 online (independent study) courses are available at www.pdresources.org, including courses on ethics, risk management and cultural diversity]

A minimum of 3 CE hours must be in activities whose content area is:

  • Laws pertaining to the practice of psychology;
  • Ethics and professional conduct in the practice of psychology; or
  • Managing risks associated with the practice of psychology; and

A minimum of 3 CE hours must be in activities designed to enhance competence in the provision of psychological services to culturally diverse populations.

During each reporting period, CE hours may be earned only once for the same activity.

Reporting Period:

The reporting period for psychologists with license numbers ending with an odd digit will be March 31 of odd years; and for those ending with an even digit or 0 will be March 31 of even years.

For psychologists receiving their license with less than 12 months before the end of their reporting period, CE hours are not required for that reporting period.

Psychologists receiving their license with 12 months or more before the end of their reporting period shall be required to complete 20 CE hours.

CE Audits:

The Board shall audit the continuing education documentation of all psychologists randomly selected by license numbers.

Within 30 days following notification by the Board, a psychologist who is audited shall provide:

  • Proof of completion of continuing education activities;
  • A completed continuing education reporting form; and
  • Any additional information that may be requested by the Board to evaluate completion of CE requirements.

Proof of completion as required of this regulation may include:

  • Certificates of attendance;
  • Transcripts or course syllabi;
  • Reprints of publications;
  • Test results; or
  • Any other proof of completion acceptable to the Board.

To earn CE credits for independent study, a psychologist shall:

  • Pass an examination on the activity; and
  • Be awarded a certificate of completion.

The Maryland Board of Examiners of Psychologists: http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/psych/

The Board of Examiners of Psychologists is a group of seven licensed psychologists and two consumer members appointed by the Governor to administer and regulate the laws regarding the practice of psychology in Maryland. The Board’s mission is to ensure that consumers in Maryland receive quality psychological services in accordance with the laws in Maryland. The Board has been in existence since July 1, 1981. The original Psychologist’s Certification Act was enacted into law in Maryland on July 1, 1957 by the General Assembly. The Board functions include licensing psychologists, approving psychology associates, renewing licenses, reviewing continuing education, promulgating regulations, interpreting the scope of practice, educating licensees, and investigating complaints.

Risk Management

Risk Management: Quick Tips I

Risk Management: Quick Tips I

Click on image to view course webpage

This new online continuing education course addresses a variety of risk management topics in the form of seven archived articles from The National Psychologist.

Topics include:

  • Social Networking: How Should Psychologists Respond to Online ‘Friending’ Requests?
    Many who read this article are likely to have a knee-jerk response of, “No way can a therapist accept a friend request from a client under any circumstance!” As with most ethical dilemmas, the avoidance response of “don’t” is not always applicable, as it is not always the correct or most helpful response.
  • Some Additional Thoughts on Social Networking
    Therapists who choose to use social networking and other electronic means as a way to exchange information with clients must deal with the multitude of confidentiality issues and other risk management questions created by doing so. This article reviews the confidentiality, legal and ethical issues involved.
  • Malpractice Insurance 101: Claims-made vs. Occurrence Coverage
    The purpose of this article is to acquaint early career psychologists and those who may be confused about insurance with an important issue to consider when shopping for professional liability coverage: What type of insurance should you buy?
  • Progress Notes: What Not to Write Down
    This article provides suggestions and considerations for what to (and not to) write in your progress notes.
  • Triple Jeopardy: Dangers of an APA Ethics Complaint
    For most psychologists, professional licensure is a prerequisite for their livelihood and professional identity. Most of us know psychologists are in “double jeopardy” when it comes to practice vulnerability. Malpractice lawsuits and complaints before state licensing boards can drastically restrict a psychologist’s ability to practice. This articles reviews the issues and offers suggestions.
  • When Marital Therapy Isn’t & When Marital Therapy Is
    These articles discuss the use of creative billing, to include creative diagnostics, in order to provide marital therapy under an insurance plan.

This course is intended to provide psychotherapists of all specialties with a set of brief, practical tips for dealing with risk management challenges that present themselves in everyday practice. Course #10-42 | 2011 | 13 pages | 8 posttest questions | 1 Hour CE

Professional Development Resources Announces New Ethics and Risk Management Training

Professional Development Resources, a nationally accredited provider of continuing education for psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, speech-language pathologists, registered dietitians and occupational therapists, has announced the publication of two new courses dealing with ethics and risk management. The two topics are considered essential training for professionals practicing in an increasingly complicated climate in which privacy is threatened and litigation is common.

Jacksonville, Florida – May 11, 2011 — Professional Development Resources has recently increased its curriculum in professional ethics and risk management courses. Many psychologists, social workers, counselors, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists are required – as part of their periodic relicensure process – to complete courses related to ethics in the practice of their specialties.

The company’s website, http://www.pdresources.org, now offers over 180 accredited healthcare and mental health continuing education (CE) courses. Of this catalog, more than 20 relate to multiple aspects of ethics and risk management in clinical practice. The courses include modules on ethical decision making, privacy and confidentiality, maintenance of professional boundaries, multicultural competency, use of internet technologies, and management of high-risk clients. The wide range of courses is intended to provide clinicians with thoughtful perspectives on maintaining open, honest, and ethical relationships with their clients.

Risk management involves careful planning and documentation of all services and communications for the purpose of assuring that the professional has acted ethically, responsibly, and legally. The goals are to assure that the client’s best interests are upheld and that the clinician is prepared in case there is a lawsuit or licensing board complaint at a later date.

Leo Christie

"Clinicians who are thoughtful and ethical in developing and documenting their therapeutic work are those who are most effective in their work and least susceptible to lawsuits and ethics complaints."

“In many ways, risk management is the opposite side of the ethics coin, in that both processes ultimately contribute to the welfare of the client,” says Leo Christie, PhD, CEO of Professional Development Resources. “Clinicians who are thoughtful and ethical in developing and documenting their therapeutic work are those who are most effective in their work and least susceptible to lawsuits and ethics complaints. They get the job done in ways that result in high client satisfaction and low risk of adverse outcomes to any legal challenge.”

Among the most salient issues in healthcare ethics is the concern for privacy in handling clients’ personal information. If individuals are to benefit from health services, they must be assured that their personal information will be protected. This is far more challenging today than it was even a decade ago. The pervasive use of electronic communication technologies like cell phones, laptops, email, and social networking has created an environment in which new protections must be implemented. All professionals need to be trained in the most current procedures for safeguarding their clients’ protected health information in the recording, storage, and transmission of electronic records.

“We want to be sure that the clinicians who take our courses have access to training in the many facets of ethical conduct in practice, whatever their specialties, says Christie. “They need to be equipped to assure their clients of compliance with the highest and most recent standards of ethical behavior, while at the same time protecting their own ability to continue to practice.”

A wide variety of ethics and risk management course topics are available, including:

The entire ethics catalog can be seen at http://www.pdresources.org/Courses/Other/Ethics/CourseName/1/.

Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1992 by licensed marriage and family therapist Leo Christie, PhD. The company, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) – as well as many other national and state boards – has focused its efforts on making continuing education courses more efficient and widely accessible to health professionals by offering online home study coursework. Its current expanded curriculum includes a wide variety of ethics courses and other clinical topics intended to equip health professionals to offer state-of-the art services to their clients.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Ethics and Risk Management: Expert Tips IV

Ethics and Risk Management: Expert Tips IV is now available!

Ethics & Risk Mgmt: Expert Tips IVThis 2-hour online course addresses a variety of ethics and risk management topics in the form of 12 archived articles from The National Psychologist. Topics include: the risks and benefits of alternative treatment; Medicare puts providers in peril; the treatment of children whose parents are in the process of divorcing; keeping client needs uppermost in termination; the pitfalls facing psychologists who become involved in their patients’ custody disputes; security is necessary for test validity; tips for working with the duty to protect; are anger, violence and radical ideologies mental illness or different beliefs?; the role of the psychologist; issues in determining top authorship in publications; managing multiple relationships; and LGBQT issues in psychotherapy. This course is intended for psychotherapists of all specialties. Course #20-41 | 2010 | 25 pages | 16 posttest questions

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips I

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips II

Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips III

Professional Development Resources is recognized as a provider of continuing education by the following:
AOTA: American Occupational Therapy Association (#3159)
APA: American Psychological Association
ASWB: Association of Social Work Boards (#1046)
CDR: Commission on Dietetic Registration (#PR001)
NBCC: National Board for Certified Counselors (#5590)
NAADAC: National Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (#00279)
California: Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625)
Florida: Boards of SW, MFT & MHC (#BAP346); Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635); Occupational Therapy Practice (#34). PDResources is CE Broker compliant.
Illinois: DPR for Social Work (#159-00531)
South Carolina: Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193)
Texas: Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) & State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678)

Risk Management is Part of Life for Psychotherapists

Professional Development Resources RiskManagementEducationOnline, a nationally accredited provider of continuing education (CE) for psychologists, social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists, has announced the release of a new continuing education course on realistic risk management for mental health professionals.

Jacksonville, FL (Vocus/PRWEB ) August 1, 2009 — Professional Development Resources, RiskManagementEducationOnline has released a new continuing education course that details the real risks of practicing in mental health professions, along with strategies for anticipating and minimizing risks. Areas of special emphasis include the impact of managed care and the complex interaction of new HIPAA regulations with legal and ethical considerations. The six-hour course, which is available online, makes the case that there are real risks associated with independent practice, but that most risky situations can be managed with thoughtful clinical decision making and careful attention to detail in day-to-day clinical practice.

The average mental health practitioner in independent practice who belongs to a managed care organization (MCO) must perform a balancing act, attempting to attend to and satisfy the requirements of half a dozen entities. These include the practitioner’s own profession (code of ethics), state licensure laws and rules, federal regulations (HIPAA privacy laws), the MCO’s limitations and guidelines, local standards of practice, and a variety of state and national child abuse and ‘duty to protect’ laws. Sometimes the requirements are inconsistent – or even in conflict – with each other, and the clinician must unravel the tangles in order to discern the ethical and legal course of action.

It may seem ironic that those who practice in the helping professions have to be so aware of practicing defensively. Most of the people who complete lengthy training programs to become psychotherapists do so because of a desire to help people. Yet, over the last 10 years, there has been a major increase in the number of lawsuits, licensing board actions, and ethics complaints against mental health practitioners. How has this need for defensive practice come about?

There seem to be a number of contributing factors. Changes in the economic system, the growth of managed care, increased federal and state regulations, advancing technology, and greater demands for oversight and accountability in clinical practice have made record keeping and communications much more complex, time consuming, and risky. Many clinicians are frustrated by the extra work they must do to satisfy the complex – and sometimes contradictory – demands of regulators and insurers. This CE program offers practical take-home tools for minimizing risk and covering one’s assets, associates, and actions.

“One cannot insure against or prevent all risks. That is why it is called risk management, and not risk prevention,” says Ed Zuckerman, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of the course. “There are very real emotional, personal, and financial costs involved in licensing board complaints and malpractice suits. Risk management involves reducing the potential impacts by reducing the levels of threat, vulnerability, and likelihood at the lowest cost or effort.”

One of the unique aspects of this course is that it gives the reader the opportunity to estimate his or her own individual risk of being the target of a licensing board complaint or malpractice suit. Based on the real occurrence of complaints and lawsuits brought against individuals in each particular profession, the author guides the reader through a mathematical probability sequence that results in a realistic risk self-assessment. The reader can then implement specific strategies designed to reduce his or her individual risk.

“I have never seen such an inclusive collection of rational strategies, thoughtful analyses, and ready-to-use tools brought together in one place before,” says Leo Christie, PhD, CEO of Professional Development Resources. “Independent practice has become more risky, and many clinicians have not adapted. What are the real-life risks? What constitutes ‘standard of care?’ How long do we have to keep clinical records? How can we be sure that electronic records are secure and confidential? We can all learn how to protect our clients and ourselves by implementing changes that are surprisingly simple.”

The new risk management course and a number of others – all of which are available instantly online and can be completed any time and anywhere – include:
Realistic Risk Management, (2009) 85 pages, HIPAA Help: A Compliance Manual for Psychotherapists, (2009) 263 pages, Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips I, (2008) 22 pages, and
Ethics & Risk Management: Expert Tips II, (2009) 26 pages.

About Professional Development Resources, Inc.

Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1992 by licensed marriage and family therapist Leo Christie, PhD. The company, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) – as well as many other national and state boards – has focused its efforts on making continuing education courses more efficient and widely accessible to health professionals by offering online home study coursework. Its current expanded curriculum includes a wide variety of clinical topics intended to equip health professionals to offer state-of-the art services to their clients.

Contact:

Professional Development Resources, Inc.
800-979-9899
http://www.pdresources.org