Course Description
In response to the COVID-19 national health emergency, organizations and private practices switched to the use of telehealth as a primary means of delivering behavioral health services for a year or more. As a result of that experience, many programs have adopted telehealth as a means to provide ethically sound, legally compliant, and clinically effective interventions at a distance. This course is designed for California licensed and non-licensed social workers who are now using telehealth services to meet the needs of their employers, clients, and communities. This course incorporates information regarding legal and ethical standards and guidelines and provides information specific to the current worldwide pandemic. While this course focuses on telehealth, the principles presented are also relevant to social services provided via technologically based communications.
Target Audience
This course was created for licensed and non-licensed social workers and behavioral health professionals who are required to implement telehealth (telemental health services). This course can be used toward the ongoing requirement for six hours of law and ethics training for California licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) license renewal.
Learning Objectives
Upon completing this course participants will be able to do the following:
- Identify legal, ethical, and professional standards related to providing telehealth services, including special issues related to competence, informed consent, and confidentiality.
- Identify potential clinical risks and benefits associated with providing telehealth services.
- Identify potential clinical consequences of utilizing telehealth.