The Ethics Curriculum
CONFIDENTIALITY in the DIGITAL WORLD
A Walk through Risk Management.
Program Description
We live in a time of murky and very informal boundaries. Nowadays, personal and social boundaries have become so loose and blurry that it’s possible to transgress them without even realizing it. Privacy is a fundamental right and while the general public may be throwing away that right, it is the responsibility of all therapists to keep client information private. This is because the therapeutic/counseling relationship is predicated on respecting human dignity.
Psychotherapists and counselors today must make thoughtful decisions about whether and to what extent they will incorporate digital and other electronic technology into their professional lives. To practice ethically, therapists of all professional disciplines who use digital and other technology must develop privacy and confidentiality protocols. One of the speakers in this program states that the four biggest issues regarding confidentiality and ethics in these times are training, supervision, understanding technology, and being competent in an online environment to be able to handle these particular issues. .
We address these issues in this program.
Learning Objectives
After listening to and/or reading this interview, participants should be able to:
1. explain the concepts of informed consent, duty to warn and confidentiality and how to present these concepts to one's clients.
2. recognize the remote documentation clinicians should use regarding security of the information?
3. understand which communications and transactions are covered by HIPAA, and who must use them.
Interviews
Confidentiality and Risk Management - Allan Barsky, Ph.D.
Privacy is a fundamental right and while the general public may be throwing away that right, it is the responsibility of all therapists to keep client information private. This is because the therapeutic/counseling relationship is predicated on respecting human dignity. Whenever we conduct a therapy session—whether in person, on the phone, or in cyberspace—ethical rules are always implicitly present, insuring that whatever therapeutic space is being created is truly a safe haven in a world in which circles of emotional safety and protection are in exceedingly short supply. In this interview, Allan Barsky discusses how therapists and counselors can maintain the privacy of their patients/clients in a time of murky boundaries.
HIPAA - Laura Groshong, LICSW
The growth of electronic counseling and psychotherapy has taken place with relatively little regulation regarding the protection of patient confidentiality. And where there is a vacuum, in comes government, to wit, HIPAA, which regulates the transmission of information using electronic means. Here to guide us through HIPAA rules and requirements is Laura Groshong, who will give us an overview on what we need to do to be compliant with these regulations.
Protecting Confidentiality in Online Counselling - Rachel Birnbaum, Ph.D.
Online therapy and counseling have become increasingly common over the past several years. Face to face or telephone forms of counselling are still the norm, recent times have witnessed an explosive growth in online mental health services, including email-based counselling, chat-based counselling, video-based counselling, and online self-help groups. Plus texting! These online services have been utilized both as a stand-alone method of treatment or as an adjunct to traditional counselling. The area of risk we will be discussing in this interview concerns challenges for confidentiality and security of client information. Despite continual upgrades to technology, there are always breaches to technology where unauthorized individuals can intercept wireless signals and compromise what is thought to be secure information.
“Interviews were clear, concise, to the point – an enjoyable way to learn.”
... Joe F.
LCSW