Ethical & Legal Considerations Flashcards

An EMDR therapist is asked to train lay volunteers to deliver EMDR in a disaster relief setting. Which ethical concern is primary?

Answer: Scope of practice and competence of non-licensed volunteers

Deploying unlicensed individuals to deliver a clinical intervention raises serious competence and scope-of-practice concerns that could harm vulnerable populations.

A client who completed EMDR contacts the therapist on social media. The therapist should:

Answer: Decline and explain that boundary maintenance extends beyond active treatment

Professional ethics require maintaining appropriate boundaries with former clients, including declining social media connections that blur the professional relationship.

During EMDR group therapy, Client A reveals information about a crime Client B mentioned. What is the therapist's primary ethical challenge?

Answer: Balancing confidentiality for Client B with potential reporting obligations

Group settings create complex confidentiality issues when one member's disclosure about another triggers potential mandatory reporting obligations.

A client requests their complete EMDR session recordings. Under HIPAA, the therapist must:

Answer: Provide all recordings within 30 days if they exist and are part of the designated record set

HIPAA grants clients the right to access their designated record set, which may include recordings, within 30 days of request.

A therapist discovers their EMDR client is a minor who provided false consent as an adult. The ethical priority is to:

Answer: Involve a parent or legal guardian and reassess consent and treatment plan

Minors cannot provide legally valid informed consent; parental or guardian consent must be obtained and the treatment plan reviewed accordingly.

What is the ethical concern with an EMDR therapist accepting a large gift from a grateful client after successful trauma treatment?

Answer: It could create a sense of obligation that compromises future therapeutic neutrality

Accepting substantial gifts can shift the power dynamic and create implicit obligations that undermine the therapist's ability to act in the client's best interest.

An EMDR therapist is retiring and must transfer their caseload. Which is the most ethical approach for clients currently in active trauma reprocessing?

Answer: Providing adequate notice, facilitating warm handoffs, and addressing abandonment concerns

Ethical termination requires sufficient advance notice, active collaboration on transitions, and attending to clients' reactions to avoid therapeutic abandonment.