CLT Business, Ethics & Professional Standards 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle requires a CLT to act in the best interest of the client, even when it may conflict with the therapist's personal interests?
- Beneficence (Correct answer)
- Nonmaleficence
- Autonomy
- Justice
Correct answer: Beneficence
Beneficence obligates the CLT to take positive actions that promote the client's health and well-being as a primary professional responsibility.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of obtaining informed consent before a light therapy session?
- To ensure the client understands risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to treatment (Correct answer)
- To protect the therapist from all liability in the event of an adverse outcome
- To document that the client has paid for the session
- To satisfy insurance billing requirements
Correct answer: To ensure the client understands risks, benefits, and alternatives before agreeing to treatment
Informed consent respects client autonomy by ensuring they have sufficient information to make a voluntary, educated decision about their treatment.
Question 3: A CLT discovers that a client is also receiving treatments from another provider for the same condition. What is the most professional course of action?
- Coordinate care with the other provider with the client's consent (Correct answer)
- Refuse to treat the client to avoid liability
- Continue treatment without disclosing the overlap to either party
- Advise the client to stop the other treatments immediately
Correct answer: Coordinate care with the other provider with the client's consent
Collaborative, coordinated care with the client's written consent ensures the safest and most effective overall treatment plan.
Question 4: Under HIPAA, when can a CLT legally share a client's health information with a family member?
- When the client provides written authorization or verbal agreement in the therapist's presence (Correct answer)
- Any time the family member requests it
- Only after the client has completed their full course of treatment
- Never under any circumstances
Correct answer: When the client provides written authorization or verbal agreement in the therapist's presence
HIPAA permits disclosure to family members only when the client authorizes it, either in writing or verbally during the appointment.
Question 5: What is 'scope of practice' as it applies to a CLT?
- The range of services a CLT is legally and professionally qualified to perform (Correct answer)
- The geographic area in which a CLT is allowed to operate
- The number of clients a CLT may treat per day
- The specific brands of equipment a CLT is certified to use
Correct answer: The range of services a CLT is legally and professionally qualified to perform
Scope of practice defines the procedures, actions, and processes that a CLT is legally authorized to perform based on their training and certification.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of a dual relationship that a CLT should avoid?
- Providing light therapy treatments to a close personal friend (Correct answer)
- Treating two clients with the same diagnosis
- Using the same treatment protocol for different clients
- Scheduling back-to-back appointments
Correct answer: Providing light therapy treatments to a close personal friend
Dual relationships, such as treating close friends, blur professional boundaries and can compromise objectivity, consent, and the therapeutic relationship.
CLT Business, Ethics & Professional Standards 1
Which ethical principle requires a CLT to act in the best interest of the client, even when it may conflict with the therapist's personal interests?