Legal and Ethical Issues When Supervising Work with System Involved Youth and Families

Rachel Michaelsen, LCSW

Training Description

Supervisors of staff working with system involved youth have ethical responsibilities to supervisees, those they serve, and the profession and these responsibilities are guided by laws regarding client care and employment. This course provides legal and ethical information to supervisors working in mental health and social-services settings with system involved youth and families. Topics include: ethical decision making, ethics of supervision, laws that impact supervisors and supervisees, mandatory reporting issues, documentation, liability risk and risk prevention, supervisory competency expectations, ethical expectations of supervisees, termination of employment, dual relationships. Material will be covered through lecture, discussion, and vignettes. This course fulfills the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements for 6 hours of training in supervision and in law and ethics.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

1) Demonstrate ethical decision making;

2) Explain their ethical responsibilities as supervisors;

3) Apply laws regarding mandatory reporting to teaching and mentoring supervisees;

4) Demonstrate skills in documenting supervision;

5) Reduce their level of liability risk;

6) Teach supervisees to follow ethical supervisee practices; and

7) Avoid engaging in unethical dual relationships with supervisees;

Agenda 

9:00-9:15am  Introductions and Logistics

9:15-9:30am  Ethical Decision Making

9:30-9:45am  Ethical Supervision

9:45-10:45am  Laws that impact supervisors and supervisees/mandatory reporting issues

10:45-11:00am  Break (CEUs will not be offered for this time)

11:00-11:30am  Documentation

11:30am-12:15pm  Supervisor Liability and Liability Risk Reduction

12:15-12:45pm  Lunch Break (CEUs will not be offered for this time)

12:45-1:30pm  Ethical expectations of   supervisees

1:30-2:00pm  Termination of Employment

2:00-2:15pm  Break (CEUs will not be offered for this time)

2:15-3:45pm  Dual Relationships

3:45-4:00pm  Wrap-up & Adjourn & Evals

Meet Our Trainer

Rachel Michaelsen, LCSW, is a clinical social worker who has worked in HMOs, public agencies, and private practice as both a mental-health provider and a supervisor for more than thirty years. She has taught courses in clinical supervision, law and ethics, diagnoses, childhood psychopathology, vicarious traumatization, trauma informed care and energy psychology at universities, conferences, and mental-health agencies. She provides consultation and supervision to agencies and maintains a private practice.

This course meets the qualifications for (6.0) BBS CEUs for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.