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 don'ts, 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.

An indispensable book for both student and practicing clinicians, as well as for lawyers who want a better understanding of this interesting and ever-changing field, The Essentials of Florida Mental Health Law explains in a straightforward and user-friendly manner the laws most relevant to mental health practice in Florida.

This accessible and practical guide de-mystifies the Mental Health Tribunal for health and social care professionals. Written by a mental health lawyer and a MHT Panel member, it offers essential explanations of all stages of the MHT proceedings, from initial application to the final decision. The book also provides answers to frequently asked questions and provides top tips to help guide through the whole process.

This series of books from Learning Matters is aimed at busy social work practitioners who are looking to enhance their skills and extend their knowledge. Written from a practical point of view, they have clear links to both post-qualifying training as well as CPD. They are up-to-date, accessible and totally skills focused. Written specifically for Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMPHs), this book brings together the elements of the legislation, Code of Practice, Memorandum, Government Circulars and relevant case law and policy. It covers the roles which fall to an AMHP in the revised Mental Health Care Act as well as the Key Competencies. Also included are a detailed account of the Community Treatment Order and the AMHP's role in relation to this new provision, as well as checklists, case studies and exercises to aid practice and learning. This fully-revised third edition brings together updated legislation, case law and policy. There is new material on the AMPH's responsibilities towards nearest relatives and how the Mental Capacity Act 2005 interacts with the revised Mental Health Act. An essential book for practicing AMHPs or those currently in training, this book also contains extensive appendices which cover Mental Health Act Assessments, Practice Directions (first tier tribunal) and the AMHP Regulations for both England and Wales.

Approved Mental Health Professionals are specialist professionals authorised to make ethically complex and difficult decisions on the behalf of people with severe mental health difficulties. In this complex and challenging role, AMHPs must possess and deploy a range of skills, knowledge and values. This invaluable handbook considers these challenges and provides in-depth guidance on all key aspects of the role, including: • working with mental health law; • risks and challenges in a Mental Health Act assessment; • staying safe as an AMHP; • resilience as a trainee and practitioner. Packed with helpful features such as illustrations, chapter summaries, discussion questions and further reading lists, this clear and concise book will be invaluable to students on AMHP and Best Interests Assessor programmes, as well as for professionals in the field.

Family Guide to Mental Illness and the Law offers the nuts-and-bolts legal information and problem-solving steps families need. This accessible resource explains how common legal issues uniquely impact people with various forms of mental illness and what family members can do to help.

The Mental Health Professional in Court: A Survival Guide is designed to help mental health professionals become more knowledgeable about the settings, assumptions, personnel, issues, and techniques involved in going to court, with the aim of demystifying the legal process and reducing anxiety about this inherently stressful experience. A revised and expanded version of The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide, published more than 10 years ago, this volume was written with three goals in mind: to soothe, support, and educate through use of an informal and at times even lighthearted tone; to offer a consistent focus on practical rather than theoretical issues; and to present the necessary material succinctly and efficiently so that readers can assimilate it quickly and under pressure of an impending court appearance. The book puts the topic in context by presenting the basics of the legal process and roles, then follows the chronology of responding to a subpoena, determining the kind of witness the reader may be asked to be, working with an attorney, preparing for a courtroom appearance, and identifying specific strategies for testifying. Well-written, astute, and supportive, this is the book mental health professionals should rely on when facing this potentially unnerving challenge.