Informed Consent Flashcards

For informed consent to be valid in a therapeutic context, the client must have:

Answer: Capacity to understand the information, be given adequate information, and consent voluntarily

Valid informed consent requires three elements: decisional capacity, adequate disclosure of information, and voluntariness (free from coercion).

A California therapist is required to inform clients of the limits of confidentiality:

Answer: At the beginning of the therapeutic relationship

California law and ethical standards require therapists to disclose confidentiality limits — including mandated reporting, duty to warn, etc. — at the outset of treatment.

When treating a minor with parental consent, the therapist should also:

Answer: Obtain the minor's assent when developmentally appropriate

While parents provide legal consent for minors, best practice and ethical standards call for obtaining the minor's assent (agreement) when age and development allow.

A therapist plans to use an evidence-based treatment the client is unfamiliar with. Informed consent requires the therapist to:

Answer: Explain the treatment, its rationale, expected benefits, and any known risks

Regardless of whether a treatment is evidence-based, informed consent requires explaining the treatment rationale, expected benefits, risks, and alternatives.

Which of the following undermines the voluntariness of informed consent?

Answer: A client is told their benefits will be cut if they refuse therapy

Coercion — including threats to cut benefits or face consequences for refusal — violates the voluntariness requirement for valid informed consent.

A therapist wishes to video record sessions for training purposes. The therapist must:

Answer: Obtain specific written informed consent for recording, separate from general therapy consent

Recording sessions requires separate, specific informed consent beyond the general therapy consent, as recording is not a routine part of treatment.