Book Title:

The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals: An A-Z Guide to Protecting Your Clients, Your Practice, and Yourself (Paperback)
by Barton E. Bernstein, JD, LMSW; Thomas L. Hartsell Jr., JD

Editorial Reviews:

Book Description

Safeguard your mental health practice with up-to-date information and savvy advice on practicing in today’s legal environment.

Today’s mental health professional must approach the legal aspects of practice with both sensitivity and foreknowledge. The array of legal guidelines and ethical standards to comprehend is increasing in scope and complexity. Licensing issues, ethics questions, and malpractice suits all present pitfalls that, if ignored or misapprehended, can interrupt or even end a career.

Written by two attorneys specializing in the legal aspects of mental health care, The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition is an indispensable survival guide for all clinicians. The authors explain how to handle allegations of malpractice, cope with threats of violence, preserve client confidentiality, and more. Each chapter features step-by-step guidance, helpful case studies, “legal light bulbs” highlighting important concepts, answers to frequently asked questions, dos and dont’s, and sample forms and contracts to help you safeguard your practice. Completely revised and updated, the Second Edition also includes new information on:

  • HIPAA
  • Treating older adults
  • Using “exotic” therapy techniques
  • Ethical and legal aspects of office leases
  • And more

The Portable Lawyer for Mental Health Professionals, Second Edition offers the latest information for practicing in today’s legal environment. Mental health caregivers, graduate students, attorneys, and clients alike will find this guide to be an invaluable resource.

Book Info

Explains how to handle practice issues such as malpractice allegations, coping with treats of violence, and preserving client confidentiality in a managed care era. Includes sample forms and contracts, case studies, and ‘legal light bulbs.’

About the Author

Barton E. Bernstein, JD, LMSW, is an attorney in private practice. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Texas, Arlington, and a licensed master social worker.

Thomas L. Hartsell Jr., JD, is an attorney and mediator in private practice and an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University and Northlake College. Together the authors have coauthored The Portable Ethicist for Mental Health Professionals (Wiley) and conduct workshops and seminars across the United States.