The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals: An A-Z Guide to Protecting Your Clients, Your Practice, and Yourself

Everything you need to know to bullet-proof your practice against legal complications.The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals is an indispensable survival guide for mental health professionals practicing in these most litigious of times. Written by two attorneys specializing in the legal aspects of the mental health professions, it arms you with the expert knowledge you need to protect yourself and your practice, while serving your clients. Keeping the legal jargon to a bare minimum, Barton Bernstein and Thomas Hartsell, Jr. explain how to handle tricky practice issues such as malpractice allegations, coping with threats of violence, and preserving client confidentiality in a managed care era.Organized alphabetically for ready reference, this complete A-to-Z guide: Provides clear and concise answers to legal questions Covers key categories, including record-keeping, confidentiality, forensics, malpractice, managed care appeals, client/therapist relationships, and more Features step-by-step guidance, helpful case studies, and "legal lightbulbs" that alert you to crucial do's and don'ts, concepts, and warning signs Supplies you with sample forms and contracts to safeguard your practice against legal complications.You owe it to yourself and your clients to be up to speed on the important legal issues surrounding your profession. With The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals at your side you always will be.