Ethics and Professional Wills
$14.00
Introductory
Online
Course Abstract
Ethics and Professional Wills is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE) course that guides psychologists through the process of developing a professional will.
This course provides practical information and resources on how to meet the APA Ethics Code standards regarding pre-planning for the eventual expected or unexpected closure of your professional practice, while being sensitive to understandable possible anxiety and/or resistance surrounding this topic. Business strategies, including sample forms ready to be personalized for your use, are offered.
Clinical considerations are addressed in discussions of how to best meet patients’ needs during the termination of your work with them and their possible transfers to new clinicians, possible countertransference responses you may experience during expected closings and preparing for unexpected closings, and how to balance patients’ and your own needs during planned temporary or permanent business closings such as a maternity leave or retirement. Issues in addressing possible incapacitation of the psychologist are reviewed.
Finally, pre-planning for possible unexpected practice closings, as would occur after the sudden incapacitation or death of a psychologist, are discussed in detail, including how to develop a professional will, the designation of a professional executor, and arranging for confidential storage and disposition of patient records, following ethical and regulatory guidelines. A sample and fill-in-the-blank professional will are provided, facilitating your completion of a basic professional will by the end of the course.
Course #11-33 | 2020 | 23 pages | 10 posttest questions
Learning Objectives
- Paraphrase APA Ethics Code standard 3.12 and state how to meet this ethical obligation
- List three sound ethical and state-specific practices for the storage and disposition of clinical records
- Identify one or more professional executors to manage your professional will
- Complete the first draft of a personalized professional will
Course Directions
This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. The course is text-based (reading) and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).
Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, 3 chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation.
About the Author(s)
CE Information
Counseling
Professional Development Resources (PDR) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5590. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. PDR is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Professional Development Resources is also approved as a provider of online (home study) continuing education by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#50-1635); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) (Note: New York counselors will receive 1 continuing education credit for completing this self-study course; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (#RCST100501) Note: Ohio Counselors, Social Workers, and MFTs completing this course will receive 1 ethics continuing education credit; and the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193).
Marriage and Family Therapy
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135), licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0100, and licensed social workers #SW-0664 (Note: New York counselors, marriage & family therapists, and social workers will receive 1 continuing education credit(s) for completing this self-study course); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501 - Note: Ohio MFTs completing this course will receive 1 ethics continuing education credit(s)); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635) (all courses are reported within two business days of completion).
Psychology
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145).
School Psychology
Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Professional Development Resources is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 - all courses are reported within two business days of completion). Professional Development Resources, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145).
Social Work
Professional Development Resources, #1046, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 6/12/2019 - 6/12/2022. Social workers completing this course receive 1 ethics continuing education credit.
Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Provider #BAP346); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (Provider #RCST100501 - Note: Ohio Social Workers completing this course will receive 1 clinical continuing education credit); the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0664 (Note: New York Social Workers will receive 3 continuing education credits for completing this self-study course); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635) (all courses are reported within two business days of completion).
Customer Testimonials
Excellent course! Thank you!
Very important information is presented.
Thanks for the sample letter, professional will, and resources. I will definitely use these!
Very informative and timely (regardless of a psychologist's age)!
This course helped me realize just how important it is to plan now and not wait for retirement! It provided very useful information and tools necessary to complete a personalized professional will.
More Testimonials
Clear and concise, with useful resources for follow-up study.
Excellent course! It contained a lot of valuable information, as well as provided a specific letter, worksheet, and example of a professional will to get licensed psychologists started on the process of writing their professional will and assigning executors of it.
I would recommend more courses like this as many baby boomer psychologists are considering these issues in the near future.
Great and timely course (getting more timely with each advancing year).
As I am 70 years old, this course has given me homework to do. Timely and approprate.
Well presented & clear. Thank you for directly naming a topic that has become so very taboo in this culture.
this course made me aware of the need to plan ahead. I had never thought of how to handle my practice should I pass away. It was very valuable information.
Great course as always. My fault I thought it would be different material. I work in a hospital setting and my mind was more on advance directives for patients than the materials covered. Still very good material to know.
Very helpful and relevant course content. Really appreciated the sample Professional Will that was provided in printed course material. Straight-forward, to the point. Excellent!
Learned a lot. Thank you! Love the sample letters and templates.
While much of the information was not new, it covered all the bases, and allowed me to face my anxieties and leave me feeling that I have a roadmap about decisions I must make. Thank you for the clarity
Since I have these changes in my near future, I found this course VERY helpful. Thank you.
I fully appreciate the handouts/examples to use, as I have just started a solo practice and never thought of this before.
I appreciated the attachments.
Very helpful informatiuon on a topic we do not often discuss.
Great course; very informative, well done.
An excellent course, should be required for all psychologists, particularly those in a solo private practice, as I am. Thank you for providing this guidance, and a prompt to take care of this very important task as soon as possible.
