Legal and Ethical Challenges in Clinical Practice
$130.00
Early Bird
Save $15 with code 15OFF — register before Sept 1, 2026
Live in-person workshop · APA-Approved CE
Confidentiality, Tarasoff, Boundaries & Risk Management
with Jennifer Pruitt, Psy.D. and David G. Jensen, Esq., former CAMFT in-house counsel
Description
About this workshop
Practicing with Confidence, Practicing with Care
Every clinical decision carries legal and ethical weight — knowing where the lines are is what lets you practice with confidence.
This interactive, introductory continuing education course equips mental health professionals with the practical tools and frameworks needed to navigate legal and ethical dilemmas in clinical practice and aid clinicians in their daily decision making. Law and Ethics is a vital component of clinical work. Critical topics that will be covered in this course include confidentiality, assessing suicide risk, Tarasoff and requirements for mental health clinicians, and therapeutic relationships and how to avoid boundary violations. This course will help clinicians understand the pitfalls that lead to disciplinary actions and how to avoid those pitfalls. Through case studies and a review of relevant legal precedents, attendees will develop a systematic decision-making model to mitigate liability risks and maintain professional competence.
Learning objectives
What You’ll Learn
- Identify three different types of professional boundary violations.
- Describe how to handle conflicting values related to clients and the ethics code.
- Describe the importance of handling therapist counter transference with regard to professional relationships.
- Clinicians will identify potential boundary conflicts, evaluate ethical dilemmas (such as non-sexual dual relationships), and establish clear therapeutic parameters to prevent patient abandonment.
- Practitioners will apply a recognized, systematic ethical decision-making framework to resolve complex clinical situations, such as navigating subpoenas or working with minors.
- Identify ethical boundaries and potential violations vulnerable to countertransference.
6 CE hours
Workshop Agenda
Check-in and light breakfast (included) from 8:30 AM — course begins promptly at 9:00 AM
10 min
Introduction
Welcome, framing, and how law and ethics shape daily clinical decision-making.
50 min
Confidentiality
Core confidentiality requirements, including challenges related to the use of technology.
40 min
Suicide Assessment and Risk Management
Assessing suicide risk and managing liability in high-stakes clinical moments.
15 min break
40 min
Tarasoff and Duty to Warn
What Tarasoff requires of mental health clinicians, and how to meet those requirements.
30 min
Mandatory Reporting
Reporting obligations and how to navigate them in practice.
10 min
Questions
Open Q&A on the morning’s material.
60 min lunch — included
40 min
Multiple Relationships
Recognizing and navigating dual and multiple relationships in clinical practice.
60 min
Therapeutic Boundary Violations
The pitfalls that lead to disciplinary action, and how to establish clear therapeutic parameters.
30 min
Avoiding Legal Battles of Clients, Subpoenas & Depositions
Avoiding entanglement in clients’ legal disputes and responding to subpoenas and depositions.
15 min break
25 min
Challenges of Working with Minors
Consent, confidentiality, and the unique legal terrain of treating children and adolescents.
15 min
Appropriate Termination
Ending treatment ethically and preventing patient abandonment.
10 min
Questions
Closing Q&A and final takeaways.
Your presenters
Jennifer Pruitt, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist · PSY24215
Dr. Pruitt is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Monrovia, CA, where her work centers on helping individuals adjust to life transitions, heal from trauma, and build healthy coping strategies for anxiety and depression. She also provides clinical consultation to clinicians navigating clinical challenges, including legal and ethical ones, and has served as a panelist on the legal and ethical challenges of working with children, adolescents, and families.
David G. Jensen, Esq.
Attorney · Callahan Thompson Sherman & Caudill, LLP
Mr. Jensen is a partner in CTSC Law’s litigation and psychology practice sections. Before joining the firm, he served as in-house counsel for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), helping members understand and comply with their legal and ethical requirements. A popular and engaging presenter, he has led workshops across the state on compliance issues for psychotherapists — for CAMFT chapters, nonprofit and government agencies, and universities.
Continuing education
Earning Your CE Credit
You’ll receive your CE certificate after the workshop — just sign in when you arrive, sign out when you leave, and complete a short evaluation.
Venue & arrival
Before You Come
Date
Friday, November 6, 2026 · 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PT
Location
DoubleTree by Hilton Monrovia — Pasadena Area
924 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016
Check-in
Check-in opens at 8:30 AM
Course begins promptly at 9:00 AM · Sign-in Required for CE Credit
Meals
Light breakfast and lunch included
Bring
Photo ID and license number
Diversity & cultural responsiveness
Bias, Values & Ethical Judgment
This workshop will address issues related to bias in decision making. Transference and countertransference including factors related to culture and bias will be included. This course will aid clinicians in analyzing how personal and professional values influence ethical judgement in clinical practice.
Research & references
Grounded in the Literature
American Psychological Association (2022) · Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychotherapy
Corey et al. (2024) · Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions
Koocher & Keith-Spiegel (2016) · Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions
CAMFT (2025) · CAMFT Code of Ethics
American Psychological Association (2017) · Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Alpert & Steinberg (2017) · Psychoanalytic Psychology
Drum & Littleton (2014) · Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Parth et al. (2017) · Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic
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