DISCUSSION 1

Topic: The Top Ten List

1. In Colorado, you may see many persons advertise as personal coaches. One afternoon, your friend Pat declares that she has always had a knack for listening to people’s problems and is going to begin marketing herself as a therapist. Draw from the APA Ethics Code as much as possible to formulate your answers for the following questions.

· How would you respond to your friend? 

· What ethical issues might arise if she follows through with her idea and begins to see “clients”? 

2. NEXT create your own top 10 important codes from the APA code (one being most important to you and why). This top 10 list does NOT have to be related to this scenario above.

DISCUSSION 2

Topic: COLORADO LAW

On May 16, 2019, Governor Jared Polis signed the 

HB19-1120 Youth Mental Health Education & Suicide Prevention

The new law, which took effect upon signature,

1. permits a licensed or registered mental health professional to provide psychotherapy services to a minor who is between the ages of twelve and fourteen years old, at the minor’s request, with or without consent of the minor’s legal guardian, if the mental health professional determines that psychotherapy services are clinically indicated and necessary to the minor’s well-being.

2. The mental health professional may advise the minor’s legal guardian of services provided with the consent of the minor or a court in specific circumstances, unless notifying the legal guardian would be inappropriate or detrimental to the minor’s care and treatment.

3. The mental health professional may notify the legal guardian, without the minor’s consent, if their professional opinion the minor is unable to manage their own care or treatment.

4. The law includes documentation requirements and specifies that psychotherapy services must be provided in a culturally appropriate manner.

5. The law also specifies that treatment without parental consent does not apply to inpatient treatment and that current law concerning liability and duty to warn for mental health professionals applies when a minor communicates a threat or intent to harm themselves or others. 

With this in mind, answer the following questions: 


IN YOUR POST, DO NOT TALK ABOUT ANYONE YOU KNOW past or present.  We need to respect confidentiality.

1. What are the pros and cons for this law?

2. Who monitors the ethical application of therapy with the child if the parent is not there?

DISCUSSION 3

Topic: Open-minded or Biased?

1. Consider you have a friend or coworker who has a complete opposite position as you with regard to values, ethics, or policy. How do you take time to respect this opposite perspective as you consider your next project that requires both of you to share responsibility to get this project done?

2. In comparison, consider a therapist who has to work with a client who may have completely opposite values, political views or opinions?  What would be a boundary to demonstrate that therapist was NOT OBJECTIVE with that client?

3. Finally, consider how our culture uses language to influence ethical decisions. What are the consequences of this influence?  How does this impact your own choices and behaviors?

4. Here are some examples:

·

· downsize – fire employees,

· enhanced interrogation – torture

· ethnic cleansing – genocide,

· breaking in and robbing- home invasion

· person of interest – suspect in a crime