When: October 27, 2023, 9:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. with a 45-minute lunch break from 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Description:

Session 1: "No Stress Records and Requests" with Bradley J. Muldrow, Esq. (9:00-12:15). "Are my notes sufficient?" "Do I have to provide the entire record?" "Could my license be at risk?" Anxiety-inducing questions like these often flood therapists' minds the moment they receive records requests from patients, attorneys, insurance companies, or other third parties. However, understanding how to create quality patient records and effectively respond to records requests can allow practitioners to handle such requests with confidence and ease. Join CAMFT staff attorney Brad Muldrow for a helpful overview of the legal and ethical requirements for recordkeeping and responding to records requests. 

Session 2: "Working with Clients who are Involved in the Legal System" with Michael Griffin, Esq., LCSW (1:00-2:30 with a break from 2:30-2:45). This 1.5-hour workshop will provide an overview of legal and ethical issues which commonly arise when working with clients who are involved in the legal system. The workshop will discuss the importance of clearly defining the therapist's role and client expectations at the start of treatment, including expectations concerning the therapist's possible participation in the client's legal matter. Issues such as letter writing, offering one's opinion to the court, and the therapist's responsibility to the legal system, as expressed in the Code of Ethics, will also be consider. Vignette examples will be utilized, as time allows.

Session 3: "“Legal and Ethical Guidance for Therapists to Rely on When a Client Asks for a Letter” with Alain Montgomery, Esq. (2:45-4:15). Therapists are often asked to write letters, fill out forms, and offer professional opinions on behalf of clients. During this 1.5-hour presentation, CAMFT Staff Attorney Alain Montgomery will review the key legal and ethical standards for therapists to consider before writing a letter or filling out a form on behalf of a client and discuss how to manage the array of potential outcomes.

Cost: FREE for SFCAMFT members 

Non- Members Licensed $35  Pre-licensed $15

About the Presenters:

As a CAMFT staff attorney, Bradley J. Muldrow, Esq. takes member phone calls regarding law and ethics issues and contributes to articles on those subjects to CAMFT's publication, The Therapist. Prior to joining CAMFT's legal team, Brad worked on litigation and regulatory matters as an attorney for San Diego Gas & Electric Company. Since becoming an attorney, Brad as given law and ethics presentations to attorneys and judges as a member of the J. Clifford Wallace Inn of Court. He has also served as a board member for the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit.  

Michael Griffin, Esq., LCSW has been a member of the CAMFT legal team since 2007. A graduate of the USC School of Social Work and Chapman University School of Law, Mr. Griffin earned his LCSW in 1982 his California license as an attorney in 2002. He has a broad professional background in various mental health settings (including Western Youth Services in Orange County, California and Rady Children's Psychiatry Department in San Diego) as a clinician, administrator, supervisor, clinical case manager, school program coordinator, and outpatient clinic director,  and has served as an oral examiner for LCSW candidates. In addition to his work for CAMFT, Mr. Griffin is a practicing psychotherapist with adults, adolescents, and children in Laguna Niguel, California. 

Alain Lance Montgomery, Esq., is a member of the State Bar of California. Alain received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Prior to joining the CAMFT legal department, Alain worked in public interest law as a legal advisor for the Superior Court of California where he helped self-represented parties navigate the complexities of small claims litigation. As a member of the CAMFT legal department, Alain has served as part of the support staff for the CAMFT Ethics Committee and has represented the Association at various state regulatory board meetings. After graduating from college and before attending law school, Alain worked as a ski instructor at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort.