ACS Legal & Ethical Issues in Supervision 2

Question 1

A supervisee discloses they have been in a romantic relationship with a former client who ended therapy 18 months ago. What is the supervisor's PRIMARY ethical concern?

Accepted Answer

Explore whether the relationship violates the two-year prohibition in the supervisee's professional code

Answer

Most professional codes prohibit romantic relationships with former clients for at least two years post-termination, so the supervisor must assess whether that standard was violated.

Question 2

Under HIPAA, which of the following best describes the supervisor's responsibility regarding a supervisee's client records?

Accepted Answer

Supervisors may access client records as part of their oversight role without additional client authorization

Answer

HIPAA allows supervisors to access records as part of a treatment team's oversight function without requiring separate client authorization.

Question 3

A supervisee's client threatens to harm an identifiable third party. The supervisee is unsure how to proceed. What is the supervisor's legal duty?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the supervisee fulfills their duty to warn the identifiable third party per Tarasoff standards

Answer

Following Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, clinicians—and by extension supervisors—have a legal duty to protect identifiable potential victims from credible threats.

Question 4

Which scenario BEST illustrates a boundary crossing rather than a boundary violation in clinical supervision?

Accepted Answer

A supervisor attends a supervisee's graduation ceremony after obtaining consultation

Answer

Attending a supervisee's graduation is a minor departure from strict professional boundaries that, when handled thoughtfully, may not cause harm—this is a crossing, not a violation.

Question 5

A supervisee asks the supervisor to write a letter of recommendation that overstates the supervisee's competence. The ethical response is to:

Accepted Answer

Decline to write an inaccurate letter and explain the ethical rationale to the supervisee

Answer

Supervisors have an ethical obligation to provide honest evaluations; falsifying a recommendation violates honesty and potentially harms future clients.

(ACS) Approved Clinical Supervisor Practice Test

(ACS) Approved Clinical Supervisor Practice Test

ACS Legal & Ethical Issues in Supervision 2