CBHT Ethics & Professionalism 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BHT working with a client whose cultural practices differ significantly from their own should first:
- Refer the client to a clinician from the same cultural background
- Seek to understand and respect the client's cultural values within the treatment context (Correct answer)
- Encourage the client to adapt to mainstream practices for better outcomes
- Limit discussion of cultural topics to avoid misunderstanding
Correct answer: Seek to understand and respect the client's cultural values within the treatment context
Cultural competence requires BHTs to actively learn about and respect each client's cultural background to provide effective, individualized care.
Question 2: If a BHT accidentally sends a client's PHI to the wrong email address, the first step should be to:
- Delete the sent email and hope the recipient ignores it
- Immediately notify the supervisor and follow the agency's breach notification policy (Correct answer)
- Contact the unintended recipient and ask them to delete the email
- Wait to see if the client notices before reporting
Correct answer: Immediately notify the supervisor and follow the agency's breach notification policy
Accidental PHI disclosures are potential HIPAA breaches and must be reported to a supervisor immediately so the breach notification process can be followed.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of maintaining professional boundaries?
- Giving a client your personal cell phone number for emergencies
- Limiting personal self-disclosure to what therapeutically benefits the client (Correct answer)
- Offering to drive a client to appointments outside of scheduled work hours
- Accepting a small gift card from a client as a thank-you
Correct answer: Limiting personal self-disclosure to what therapeutically benefits the client
Professional boundaries permit limited, purposeful self-disclosure that serves the client's therapeutic goals, not personal relationship building.
Question 4: A BHT learns during supervision that they have a personal bias that may affect their work with a specific client population. The ethical response is to:
- Transfer all clients from that population immediately
- Acknowledge the bias, seek additional training, and continue supervision to manage it (Correct answer)
- Ignore it if it has not yet impacted client outcomes
- Only discuss the bias with friends outside of work
Correct answer: Acknowledge the bias, seek additional training, and continue supervision to manage it
Ethical practice requires BHTs to recognize and actively address personal biases through supervision, training, and self-reflection.
Question 5: Under HIPAA's Minimum Necessary Standard, a BHT should share client information:
- Fully with any licensed healthcare provider involved in the client's care
- Only to the extent required to accomplish the specific purpose of the disclosure (Correct answer)
- With all team members during morning huddles for coordination purposes
- Whenever a colleague asks, as long as they work for the same organization
Correct answer: Only to the extent required to accomplish the specific purpose of the disclosure
The Minimum Necessary Standard limits disclosures to only the information needed to fulfill the specific purpose, even within a care team.
Question 6: A client asks the BHT to keep a secret before sharing information. The most appropriate response is to:
- Agree so the client feels safe enough to disclose
- Explain the limits of confidentiality before the client shares (Correct answer)
- Refuse to listen until the client signs a new consent form
- Record the request and proceed without comment
Correct answer: Explain the limits of confidentiality before the client shares
BHTs must clarify the limits of confidentiality before a client discloses so the client can make an informed decision about what to share.
Question 7: Which behavior demonstrates a BHT's commitment to professional development?
- Relying solely on initial training for the duration of their career
- Attending continuing education workshops and applying new skills under supervision (Correct answer)
- Reviewing only the materials provided during onboarding
- Seeking training only when required for license renewal
Correct answer: Attending continuing education workshops and applying new skills under supervision
Ongoing professional development through continuing education and supervised practice is an ethical obligation that ensures quality client care.
CBHT Ethics & Professionalism 3
A BHT working with a client whose cultural practices differ significantly from their own should first: