Ethics 6 Hr CE Training

Dealing with Subpoenas, Attorneys, and Courts

Presented by William L. Buchanan, Ph.D., ABPP

‍When: February 19, 7:45 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Where: The Wink Wynne Lodge at Eagle Ranch, 5500 Union Church Road, Flowery Branch, GA

Why: The goal of this workshop is to reduce therapists’ anxiety and empower them to respond professionally and confidently to subpoenas and attorneys.

How: The workshop fee of $135 covers all workshop materials, continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

CEU Eligibility:‍ 6 Core Hours of continuing education have been approved by GPA, LPCA, LMFT, and GSCSW.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

What Will I Learn?

Virtually every mental health professional will get a subpoena or a phone call from an attorney, but most therapists would rather have a root canal than testify in Court. The goal of this workshop is to reduce therapists’ anxiety and empower them to respond professionally and confidently to subpoenas and attorneys.

Using the Georgia and Federal law, the APA Ethics codes, and the Rules of the Georgia Boards, we will cover how to confidently respond to subpoenas, interact with attorneys, the do’s and don’ts of Court testimony, minimize risk when doing therapy with divorcing or divorced families, and how to get paid for your time and for making copies of your file. We will also cover record keeping as required by law, duty to warn/protect, child abuse reporting laws, and how laws vary from state to state. We will compare and contrast laws between southern states (GA, AL, TN, NC, SC, and FL), which is imperative to know when practicing telehealth across state lines.

Onsite workshop materials, continental breakfast, catered lunch, and snacks provided.

Upon completion of the workshop, attendees will be able to:

1. Correctly, legally, and confidently respond to subpoenas in writing as well as verbally, citing the applicable laws regarding privilege (i.e., confidentiality).
2. Identify and describe how to correctly and confidently interact with attorneys and conduct oneself in Court and on the witness stand.
3. Describe how to professionally and legally respond when patients threaten harm to themselves or others.
4. Explain and apply therapeutic strategies in order to minimize legal problems when doing therapy with patients involved in divorce.
5. Store and keep records of patients using the guidelines established by GA Law and Board Rules.
6. Describe and apply how to ethically and legally bill and get paid for consultation, testimony, and making copies of one’s file, citing Georgia law.

Who Should Attend

Licensed Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, Psychologists, school counselors, clinical mental health counselors, individuals working with children & families, and graduate students in these fields. Clinical teams are encouraged to attend together.

This event's instructional level is considered intermediate.

EVENT REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE - REGISTER HERE

Refund Policy

Full refunds will be given for any courses that are canceled by Eagle Ranch. Additional refunds are only possible if requested at least 48 hours in advance of the start date of the event.

About the Presenter

William L. Buchanan, Ph.D., ABPP

William L. Buchanan, Ph.D., ABPP, is a licensed psychologist in Georgia and is Board Certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University, with an emphasis in Clinical Child and Family Psychology. He did his internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Medical College of Oklahoma. Both his doctoral program and his internship are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Buchanan is an Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). He is also a Nationally Certified Custody Evaluator (NCCE) and a Nationally Certified Parenting Coordinator (NCPC) in the Professional Academy of Custody Experts (PACE). Dr. Buchanan serves as the Chair of the Legal and Legislative Committee of the Georgia Psychological Association.

Event Schedule:

PLEASE NOTE: Breakfast and registration are from 7:45 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. The CE program begins at 8:30 a.m. sharp and runs until 4:00 p.m. You must attend all sessions to earn CE hours.

7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Workshop Sign In* / Breakfast / Eagle Ranch Tours

• Attendees please bring license number to ensure we have it correctly listed.
• A campus tour is available to attendees at this time.

8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. - Welcome to Eagle Ranch / Program Presentation

8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (1 CE hour) - Session One: Responding to Subpoenas

• Objective One: Correctly and confidently respond to subpoenas.

9:30 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. – 5 Minute Stretch

9:35 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. (1 CE hour) - Session Two: Dealing with Attorneys and Courts

• Objective Two: Professionally and confidently interact with attorneys on the phone, in depositions & in court.

10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – 10 Minute Break

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. (1 CE hour) - Session Three: Duty to Protect / Warn

• Objective Three: Understand Duty to Protect/Warn in Georgia and know how to legally respond to protect our patients and other people.

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Lunch (Provided onsite at the Lodge)

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (1 CE hour) - Session Four: Therapy with Children and Adults when there is a Divorce

• Objective Four: Minimize risk when doing therapy with children, couples & families before, during & after divorce.

1:30 p.m. - 1:35 p.m. – 5 Minute Stretch

1:35 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. (1 CE hour) - Session Five: Record Keeping

• Objective Five: Know the record keeping laws and rules.

2:35 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. – 10 Minute Break

2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. (1 CE hour) - Session Six: Getting Paid

• Objective Six: Get paid for consultation, testimony, and making copies of the file.

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Workshop Closing Activities

• Participants trade evaluations for program certificates