EMDR Ethical & Legal Considerations 3

Question 1

A client undergoing EMDR expresses suicidal ideation mid-session during active reprocessing. The therapist's first step should be to:

Accepted Answer

Stop the BLS, return to present, and conduct a safety assessment

Answer

EMDR protocol requires stopping bilateral stimulation, grounding the client in the present, and completing a thorough suicide risk assessment before any other action.

Question 2

Under HIPAA, which type of information disclosed during EMDR therapy requires extra protection beyond standard PHI rules?

Accepted Answer

Psychotherapy notes kept separate from the medical record

Answer

HIPAA provides heightened protection for psychotherapy notes kept separately from the medical record, requiring specific client authorization for most disclosures.

Question 3

A newly certified EMDR therapist wants to treat complex dissociative identity disorder. Ethically, they should:

Accepted Answer

Seek additional specialized training and supervision before treating DID

Answer

Treating DID with EMDR requires advanced training beyond standard certification, as complex dissociation demands specialized phase-oriented approaches.

Question 4

When documenting EMDR sessions, what is the ethical reason for keeping process notes separate from the general medical record?

Accepted Answer

To protect sensitive session content from broader disclosure under subpoena

Answer

Maintaining separate psychotherapy process notes limits their discoverability and protects sensitive therapeutic content from being shared in legal or insurance contexts.

Question 5

A client's employer contacts the therapist requesting confirmation of EMDR treatment. The therapist should:

Accepted Answer

Decline to confirm or deny without written client authorization

Answer

Even confirming that a client is in treatment constitutes a disclosure of PHI requiring prior written authorization from the client.

(EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Practice Test

(EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Practice Test

EMDR Ethical & Legal Considerations 3