Abstract Collaboration is an underutilized strategy for combining the strengths and perspective of home health care professionals in service and academic settings. This paper explores the importance of collaborative research strategies, focusing on the role of the unique talents, resources, and perspectives offered by each health professional to the research process. Finally, personal, professional and organizational barriers to collaboration are examined in order to alert would-be researcher collaborators to obstacles they are likely to encounter. When both the strengths of and obstacles to collaborative research are anticipated, collaboration can encourage research that is relevant to the needs and experiences of both home health service providers and academicians.
Abstract This online resource is a guide designed to help therapists and other mental health professionals navigate the ethical and legal maze surrounding confidentiality. At its core is a practical Confidentiality Practice Model, which is a step-by-step guide for clarifying the ethical and legal issues that make the ethics of conditional confidentiality so complicated. Ethics codes represent the 'ethical floor,' which is the minimum standard of behavior about confidentiality. This title encourages reaching for the 'ethical ceiling,' by protecting confidentiality to the extent legally possible and not disclosing patients' confidences just because certain laws would allow them to be disclosed. It aims to demystify confidentiality for therapists, clinical supervisors, educators, ethics consultants, attorneys who represent mental health professionals, clinicians, and administrators.
Chapter 2 discusses laws affecting confidentiality, including the underlying legal concepts, laws protecting confidentiality, non-disclosure laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and laws limiting confidentiality, laws allowing therapists to disclose information without patient consent.
The familiar question "Who is the client?" elicits a singular answer. This may be appropriate as a clinical question, and it is sometimes necessary as a legal question or reimbursement question, but on ethical questions, the National Association of School Psychologists Ethics Code requires school psychologists to "think plural" instead. For example, before providing services they must inform all involved parties about the nature of their role, where their loyalties lie, and when confidentiality will be limited. This is ethically important because it protects the informed-consent rights of everyone involved. However, this way of beginning relationships requires forethought about how the case will be structured, awareness of potential multiple relationships and conflicts of interest, and knowledge of relevant laws and local policies. To facilitate the necessary preparation, the author recommends replacing the old question with a new plural one: "What are my ethical responsibilities to each of the parties in this case?"
