Professional Ethics and Multicultural Competence Flashcards

Under HIPAA, a therapist may share protected health information with another treating provider:

Answer: For treatment purposes without explicit client authorization, though notification is best practice

HIPAA's treatment exception allows providers to share protected health information for treatment coordination without explicit written authorization, though many practitioners notify clients as a matter of good practice.

A White therapist working with a Black client experiences uncertainty about whether to address a racial microaggression the client reported receiving at work. The most competent ethical action is to:

Answer: Follow the client's lead, validate the experience, and address it if clinically relevant to treatment goals

Multicultural competence requires the therapist to validate racial experiences and address them when clinically relevant, rather than avoiding potentially uncomfortable topics.

The ethical concept of 'fidelity' in therapy refers to:

Answer: Honoring commitments, keeping promises, and being trustworthy in the therapeutic relationship

Fidelity is the ethical principle of being faithful and trustworthy, which includes honoring commitments made to clients within the therapeutic relationship.

A CBT therapist who holds conservative religious values is asked to treat an LGBTQ+ client seeking help with relationship issues. The therapist should:

Answer: Provide competent, affirming care or refer to a therapist who can, ensuring the client is not abandoned

Ethical practice requires affirming care for LGBTQ+ clients; if the therapist cannot provide this, they must refer competently to avoid client abandonment, and must never engage in conversion practices.

Which scenario most clearly represents a violation of informed consent in CBT?

Answer: Beginning exposure exercises without explaining the rationale, expected discomfort, or client's right to decline

Informed consent requires that clients understand what they are agreeing to, including the nature, purpose, potential discomfort, and their right to refuse any intervention.

A therapist's client reveals that they have been hiding marital problems from their spouse, and asks the therapist not to disclose this to anyone. The therapist should:

Answer: Honor the client's confidentiality, as this is not a Tarasoff-type threat situation

Confidentiality protects information disclosed in individual therapy; marital secrets are not grounds for breach unless there is a duty-to-warn situation involving harm to an identifiable party.

Cultural humility, as distinct from cultural competence, emphasizes:

Answer: An ongoing process of self-reflection, openness to learning from clients, and recognizing power imbalances

Cultural humility is a lifelong process of self-examination and openness, acknowledging that no therapist can fully 'master' another's culture and emphasizing respectful curiosity over assumed expertise.