Patient Safety & Risk Management Flashcards
7 cards from real ACT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Safety & Risk Management flashcards as text
A client with a history of domestic violence discloses that their partner has threatened them. What is the therapist's primary obligation?
Answer: Assess immediate safety, assist with safety planning, and provide crisis resources
The therapist must assess the client's immediate safety, collaboratively develop a safety plan, and provide appropriate crisis resources while respecting client autonomy.
In ACT, how is 'committed action' related to risk management for clients with chronic suicidality?
Answer: Committed action toward valued living provides a reason-to-live framework that supports safety
Building committed action toward a values-driven life creates intrinsic reasons for living that complement formal safety planning in ACT.
What ethical principle is most directly implicated when an ACT therapist decides to consult a colleague about a high-risk client?
Answer: Beneficence and nonmaleficence
Seeking consultation to ensure the best and safest care reflects the ethical principles of beneficence (doing good) and nonmaleficence (avoiding harm).
A client discloses child abuse that occurred 20 years ago with no current children involved. What is the therapist's reporting obligation?
Answer: No mandatory report is required if there is no current child at risk
Mandatory reporting laws are triggered by current risk to children; historical abuse with no ongoing risk or current child victims typically does not require a report.
Which ACT process is most directly associated with reducing experiential avoidance that might otherwise escalate self-harm risk?
Answer: Acceptance
Acceptance in ACT involves willingness to experience difficult emotions without avoidance, which reduces the need to escape internal distress through self-harm.
What is the recommended approach when an ACT therapist has reason to believe a client is not honest about their level of suicidal risk?
Answer: Increase assessment rigor, consult a colleague, and consider collateral information
When deception about suicidal risk is suspected, clinicians should use structured assessment tools, seek consultation, and gather collateral information to inform their clinical decision.
Under HIPAA, which situation permits a therapist to share protected health information with a client's family member without consent?
Answer: When the client poses an imminent danger and disclosure may prevent harm
HIPAA permits disclosure without consent to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.