MFT Law and Ethics 150 questions with correct answers

A therapist meets with a 25-year-old woman who lives at home with her parents. The client reports feeling extremely depressed, has a history of self-harm, and after a suicide assessment, the therapist determines she is at a high risk of serious self-harm. The client reports she does not have insurance and cannot afford to be hospitalized. How should the therapist address the ethical and legal issues in this case? A. Notify client's parents and refer client for a low fee psychiatric evaluation. B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to be hospitalized. C. Explore low fee resources to meet client's financial needs. D. Notify client's parents of her plans and safety plan with client. - correct answer B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to be hospitalized. Rationale: The therapist "determines this is at a high risk for serious self-harm", this would be the time to initiate a 5150. They may determine she does not need to be hospitalized, but the therapist would have covered the standard of care. A 13-year old boy discloses a history of sexual abuse. He informs the therapist that his former therapist touched him during several sessions to demonstrate what is appropriate versus sexually inappropriate touch. What actions should the therapist take to address the legal issues in this case? Response: A. Maintain confidentiality and provide BBS brochure. B. Call police and inform his parents. C. Report to CPS and process it with client. D. Report misconduct of therapist to BBS and document in file. - correct answer C. Report to CPS and process it with client. Rationale: The best answer is C. The information shared by the boy points to sexual abuse, which requires the therapist to make a child abuse report, answer C. Answer A and D are incorrect because they do not address the legal mandate to report abuse. While the therapist can contact the police to make the report, the child is over 12, so processing with client is better than answer B, informing parents.