BHP Emergency Procedures & Response 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client discloses they are currently being abused by a family member. Under mandatory reporting laws, the BHP must:
- Wait for the client's permission before reporting
- Discuss it with the supervisor but take no further action
- Report to the appropriate protective services agency as required by law (Correct answer)
- Document in the chart and revisit at the next session
Correct answer: Report to the appropriate protective services agency as required by law
Mandatory reporting laws require BHPs to report suspected abuse to protective services regardless of client consent.
Question 2: During a group therapy session, one member begins hyperventilating and appears to be having a panic attack. What is the BEST immediate response?
- Dismiss the group immediately and call 911
- Calmly redirect the individual, guide slow breathing, and assess for medical emergency (Correct answer)
- Have other group members talk the person through it
- Administer anxiolytic medication from the first aid kit
Correct answer: Calmly redirect the individual, guide slow breathing, and assess for medical emergency
Calm redirection and guided breathing are the first-line responses, while monitoring for signs that the situation may be a medical emergency requiring 911.
Question 3: What is the PRIMARY purpose of a safety plan developed with a suicidal client?
- To document the client's liability waiver
- To provide a stepwise coping strategy the client can use during a crisis (Correct answer)
- To notify family members of the client's diagnosis
- To schedule inpatient hospitalization
Correct answer: To provide a stepwise coping strategy the client can use during a crisis
A safety plan provides a personalized, step-by-step guide for the client to use when suicidal urges escalate, including coping strategies and emergency contacts.
Question 4: A BHP discovers a client unresponsive in a bathroom. After ensuring the scene is safe, the NEXT step is:
- Search for the client's medications to identify possible substances
- Check for responsiveness and call for help/activate emergency response (Correct answer)
- Administer naloxone immediately without assessment
- Contact the client's family before calling 911
Correct answer: Check for responsiveness and call for help/activate emergency response
After scene safety, checking responsiveness and activating emergency services (calling for help/911) follows standard emergency response protocols (CPR chain of survival).
Question 5: Under HIPAA, which situation allows a BHP to disclose protected health information WITHOUT client authorization?
- A family member requests records for insurance purposes
- A law enforcement officer requests the client's history for a routine investigation
- There is a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of the client or others (Correct answer)
- A research institution requests anonymized data
Correct answer: There is a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of the client or others
HIPAA's 'serious and imminent threat' exception permits disclosure to prevent harm to the client or identifiable third parties.
Question 6: A client in a residential behavioral health facility starts a small fire and there is smoke in the hallway. Staff should FIRST:
- Attempt to extinguish the fire before alerting clients
- Activate the fire alarm, call 911, and begin evacuating clients according to the fire safety plan (Correct answer)
- Investigate the source of smoke before taking any action
- Lock all clients in their rooms to prevent exposure
Correct answer: Activate the fire alarm, call 911, and begin evacuating clients according to the fire safety plan
Activating the alarm, calling 911, and evacuating per the fire safety plan are the immediate required steps in a fire emergency.
Question 7: What is 'duty to warn' (Tarasoff) and when is it triggered?
- The obligation to inform clients about their diagnosis at the start of treatment
- The legal obligation to warn an identifiable third party when a client makes a credible, specific threat against them (Correct answer)
- The requirement to notify insurers about high-risk clients
- The mandate to warn clients about medication side effects
Correct answer: The legal obligation to warn an identifiable third party when a client makes a credible, specific threat against them
The Tarasoff duty to warn requires clinicians to take steps to protect an identifiable potential victim when a client makes a specific, credible threat of violence toward that person.
BHP Emergency Procedures & Response 3
A client discloses they are currently being abused by a family member.
Under mandatory reporting laws, the BHP must: