Preface ; Acknowledgments ; Chapter I: Starting Out: Ethics Issues in Beginning a Practice ; Becoming Licensed to Practice ; Accuracy and Integrity in Completing Licensure Applications ; Supervision Prior to Licensure ; Choosing a Practice ; Practicing in Health Care Settings ; Your Ethics and Legal Team ; Location and Office Setting ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Table 1.1 The Supervisee's Checklist ; Chapter II: Clinical Practice ; Scope of Practice ; Clinical Competence and Accepting Referrals ; Wait Time and Waiting Lists ; Understanding Informed Consent Assent ; Exceptions to Confidentiality ; Boundaries and Multiple Relationships ; Additional Boundary and Multiple Relationship Challenges ; Emergencies and Crises ; Termination and Abandonment ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Sample Termination Letter ; Chapter III: Documentation and Record Keeping ; Documentation ; How to Document ; Financial Records ; Use of Technology and Electronic Health Records ; Records When More than one Person is Being Treated ; Record Keeping, Storage, and Disposal ; What Happens When a Client is Deceased ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Chapter IV: Dealing with Third Parties and Protecting Confidentiality ; General Policies ; Special Situations ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Release of Information Checklist ; Chapter V: Financial Decisions ; Fee Splitting Practices ; Setting Fee Scale Arrangements ; Increasing Fees ; Collections ; Collection Actions ; When a Client Does Not Want to Use Their Insurance ; Medicare ; Informing Clients About the Nature and Limitations of Their Insurance ; Accurate Billing ; Table 5.1 Accounts of Insurance Fraud by Mental Health Practitioners from an Internet Search ; Not All Inaccurate Billing is Due to Fraud or Deceit ; Information to be Communicated to Managed Care Companies ; Denial of Care by an Insurer ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Chapter VI: Staff Training and Office Policies ; General Professionalism ; Confidentiality, Confidentiality, Confidentiality ; Delegation to Subordinates ; Boundaries and Relationships ; Security of Records and the Facility ; Policies and Procedures: A Safety Net ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Ethics Quiz for Staff ; End of the Business Day Lock-Up Checklist ; Chapter VII: Advertising and Marketing ; Advertising and Public Statements ; Testimonial Endorsements ; Uninvited In-Person Solicitations ; Marketing Professional Services ; Interacting with the Media ; Marketing in the Community ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Chapter VIII: Continuing Professional Development ; Readings ; Training ; Use of Listservs ; Peer Consultation Groups ; Mentoring ; Personal Psychotherapy ; The Role of Self-Care, Burnout Prevention, and the Promotion of Wellness ; Staying Aware of Local Laws, Regulations, and Changes ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Chapter IX: Leaving a Practice ; Notifying Your Group That You are Leaving the Practice ; Telling Clients That You Will No Longer Be Practicing ; Assuring for Continuity of Care ; Informing Referral Partners ; Maintenance of Records ; Selling a Practice ; Malpractice Insurance into Retirement ; The Professional Practice Will ; Business Issues ; Ethical Challenges ; Key Points to Keep in Mind ; Practical Recommendations ; Pitfalls to Avoid ; Relevant Ethics Code Standards ; References ; Chapter X: Closing Thoughts

"Every counselor and mental health professional will benefit from this practical resource covering ethical challenges in running a private practice. The astounding amount of helpful advice provided by these highly qualified and experienced authors is not to be found in most other ethics books."-Patricia Keith-Spiegel, PhD, Voran Honors Distinguished Professor Emerita of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Ball State University, Co-author, Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions, and Author, Red Flags in Psychotherapy "You will feel grateful to have this book as a resource. Reading the chapters is like having a series of sessions with a wise mentor who is helping you raise and weigh the most important options at hand before making a professional decision. Whether you are starting out, transitioning, or simply wanting to have a deeper awareness of how to minimize risk and uncertainty, this book is surely a major step in aiding you to have a more fulfilling and informed experience as a clinician or consultant. A must-read for professionals in today's changing, challenging, and litigious mental health scene." -Robert J. Wicks, PsyD, Author, The Resilient Clinician "I strongly recommend this very clarifying and comprehensive book written by seasoned clinicians, which applies to all aspects of the delivery of mental health treatment. It is thoroughly educational and thought-provoking for all therapists, from novice to experienced, those in private practice or public service sectors, and agency workers to academicians." -Noreen Keenan, LCSW, PhD, Private Practice, Orlando, F "The Ethics of Private Practice provides a conversational approach focused on both new and experienced private practice clinicians, in this practical and engaging guide to private practice ethics for mental health clinicians. The authors utilize not only APA's code, but those of AAMFT, ACA, and NASW. They also include legal information (such as HIPAA) and models for ethical decision-making. [I]t is relevant and important to ethical practice with every person, organization, and community." --Shoshana D. Kerewsky, The Oregon Psychologist "Lest anyone think that this book is just another one of those tediously boring books of dusty old rules, let me assure you that it was neither tedius nor boring. Instead, the contents elicited a reaction that was more visceral than cerebral. Private practitioners who also teach will find the 10 pages of indexing helpful. The authors do a great job of organizing practical tips integrated with a scholarly review of relevant literature. The authors are certainly at the leading edge by discussing the broad topic of continuing professional development (CPD) rather than simply continuing education (CE). [This] book is such a good idea that one must ask why it wasn't written earlier. The wisdom is relevant to practitioners at all stages of career development." --William Doverspike, The Independent Practitioner "[A]s Jeffrey Barnett, Jeffrey Zimmerman, and Steven Walfish emphatically attest to in a one-of-a-kind, comprehensive volume, the ethics of private practice is so much more than a cover-your-rear-end endeavor. It is an aspirational, developmentally informed, nuanced, complex, and collaboratively spirited way of professional being. Early career and seasoned clinicians alike (and all those developmentally in between) will undoubtedly benefit from this thought-provoking and action-inspiring book. Unlike other books on the topic of mental health ethics that might drone on about ethical standards and legal statutes, The Ethics of Private Practice guides the clinician in each well-organized chapter through digestible sections that highlight common themes, part and parcel of any mental health practice." --Matt Hersh, PsycCRITIQUES

Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist with 30 years of experience in independent practice. He also is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Loyola University Maryland, where he teaches courses in ethics and professional practice. He is a past Chair of the APA Ethics Committee and has published and presented widely on ethics and professional practice issues for mental health professionals. Jeffrey Zimmerman, PhD, ABPP, has been in private practice since 1981. From working solo to managing a large multi-site inter-disciplinary group, Dr. Zimmerman has dealt with the complex challenges faced by clinicians who are trying to run a successful mental health practice in an ethically responsible manner. He is also a Founding Partner of The Practice Institute, LLC. Steven Walfish, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and has been in independent practice since 1982. He has built three successful private practices in Tampa, Florida, Edmonds and Everett, Washington, and now Atlanta. He is also a Founding Partner of The Practice Institute, LLC. He has been the Editor of the Independent Practitioner, and author/editor of six books. In 2013 he served as President of APA Division 42 (Psychologists in Independent Practice).

Selling point: Provides practical information for each aspect and phase of practice, from preparing for licensure to retiring and closing one's practice ethically Selling point: Addresses common ethical pitfalls and provides practical guidance and suggestions Selling point: Offers a diverse array of business and clinical practices and policies related to the practical implementation of key ethical principles Selling point: Highlights relevant standards from four mental health professions' codes of ethics