CTC Ethical Considerations in Childhood Trauma 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A trauma consultant is asked by a court to testify about a child client. Before proceeding, the clinician should:
- Refuse all court involvement to protect confidentiality
- Clarify the scope of testimony, seek release of information, and consult with an attorney if necessary (Correct answer)
- Share all clinical records without question when subpoenaed
- Notify the opposing attorney first
Correct answer: Clarify the scope of testimony, seek release of information, and consult with an attorney if necessary
Clarifying the scope, obtaining appropriate releases, and consulting legal counsel ensures the clinician navigates court involvement ethically and within legal parameters.
Question 2: Which scenario BEST illustrates a boundary violation in childhood trauma work?
- Accepting a handmade card from a child client
- Attending a child client's birthday party at the parent's invitation (Correct answer)
- Providing a referral list when ending services
- Consulting with a supervisor about a difficult case
Correct answer: Attending a child client's birthday party at the parent's invitation
Attending a child client's personal event blurs the professional boundary and can confuse the therapeutic relationship, constituting a boundary violation.
Question 3: Cultural humility in childhood trauma practice requires a clinician to:
- Apply the same evidence-based protocols to all clients regardless of background
- Continuously examine their own biases and adapt practice to each child's cultural context (Correct answer)
- Only work with clients who share the clinician's cultural background
- Ask clients to adjust to the clinician's cultural norms
Correct answer: Continuously examine their own biases and adapt practice to each child's cultural context
Cultural humility requires ongoing self-reflection and flexible, client-centered adaptation rather than imposing standardized or culturally narrow approaches.
Question 4: A trauma consultant suspects a colleague is practicing outside their scope of competence with a severely traumatized child. The ethical obligation is to:
- Confront the colleague publicly in a team meeting
- Report concerns through appropriate professional or supervisory channels (Correct answer)
- Do nothing to avoid workplace conflict
- Take over the colleague's caseload immediately
Correct answer: Report concerns through appropriate professional or supervisory channels
Using appropriate professional or supervisory channels to report concerns protects the child and upholds ethical standards without overstepping the consultant's own role.
Question 5: Telehealth sessions with traumatized children raise a unique ethical concern related to:
- Decreased need for informed consent
- Ensuring privacy, safety, and the clinician's ability to respond to crises in a remote setting (Correct answer)
- Eliminating mandatory reporting duties
- Reducing parental involvement requirements
Correct answer: Ensuring privacy, safety, and the clinician's ability to respond to crises in a remote setting
Telehealth introduces unique challenges around verifying the child's physical safety, privacy, and the clinician's capacity to manage emergencies remotely.
Question 6: When a trauma consultant discovers a child's file was accidentally emailed to the wrong recipient, they must:
- Delete the sent email and hope the recipient does not read it
- Notify the affected family, document the breach, and follow HIPAA breach notification procedures (Correct answer)
- Wait 60 days before taking any action
- Only notify the supervisor without informing the family
Correct answer: Notify the affected family, document the breach, and follow HIPAA breach notification procedures
HIPAA requires prompt breach notification to affected individuals and documentation; failing to do so compounds the ethical and legal violation.
Question 7: The primary purpose of clinical supervision in trauma-focused practice is to:
- Reduce the consultant's caseload
- Ensure quality of care, support practitioner wellbeing, and maintain ethical standards (Correct answer)
- Replace personal therapy for the clinician
- Satisfy administrative billing requirements
Correct answer: Ensure quality of care, support practitioner wellbeing, and maintain ethical standards
Supervision serves to maintain ethical, high-quality care for clients while also supporting the clinician's professional development and managing vicarious trauma.
CTC Ethical Considerations in Childhood Trauma 3
A trauma consultant is asked by a court to testify about a child client.
Before proceeding, the clinician should: