PTSD Ethics & Professional Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PTSD clinician discovers their client is also seeing another therapist without disclosing it. What is the most ethically appropriate first step?
- Terminate treatment immediately
- Discuss the concurrent treatment openly with the client (Correct answer)
- Contact the other therapist without client consent
- Report the client to a licensing board
Correct answer: Discuss the concurrent treatment openly with the client
Clinicians should address concurrent treatment directly with the client to coordinate care and maintain therapeutic transparency.
Question 2: Which ethical principle requires PTSD clinicians to accurately represent their training and competencies to clients?
- Nonmaleficence
- Veracity (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
- Justice
Correct answer: Veracity
Veracity (truthfulness) obligates clinicians to be honest about their qualifications, training, and the nature of their competencies.
Question 3: A PTSD therapist is asked to provide treatment records for a custody dispute. The client has signed a release. What should the therapist do?
- Refuse because PTSD records are always privileged
- Provide only a summary, never raw notes
- Release records as authorized by the signed release (Correct answer)
- Require a court order regardless of the release
Correct answer: Release records as authorized by the signed release
A valid, signed release of information authorizes the clinician to release the specified records to the named party.
Question 4: When treating a veteran with PTSD who expresses passive suicidal ideation, the clinician should FIRST:
- Hospitalize the client immediately
- Conduct a thorough suicide risk assessment (Correct answer)
- Notify the client's family without consent
- Refer to a psychiatrist and end the session
Correct answer: Conduct a thorough suicide risk assessment
A comprehensive suicide risk assessment is the necessary first step to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention.
Question 5: A clinician uses prolonged exposure with a PTSD client who later claims the treatment caused harm. The clinician's best ethical defense is:
- The client signed an informed consent form
- The treatment was evidence-based and used with clinical judgment (Correct answer)
- The client did not object during sessions
- The clinician has years of experience
Correct answer: The treatment was evidence-based and used with clinical judgment
Using evidence-based treatments with sound clinical judgment and documented informed consent is the strongest ethical and legal defense.
Question 6: Which situation represents a boundary crossing rather than a boundary violation in PTSD treatment?
- Entering a sexual relationship with a former client
- Attending a client's graduation ceremony at the client's request (Correct answer)
- Sharing personal trauma history unprompted during sessions
- Accepting a large financial gift from a grateful client
Correct answer: Attending a client's graduation ceremony at the client's request
Attending a meaningful life event at a client's request may be a minor boundary crossing that, if clinically considered, does not necessarily harm the client.
Question 7: A PTSD specialist learns that a colleague is practicing outside their scope of competence. The most ethical response is to:
- Ignore it since it is not their concern
- Report immediately to law enforcement
- Address the concern directly with the colleague first (Correct answer)
- Post about it anonymously on social media
Correct answer: Address the concern directly with the colleague first
Most professional ethics codes recommend addressing concerns about a colleague's conduct directly with that colleague as a first step before escalating.
PTSD Ethics & Professional Standards 2
A PTSD clinician discovers their client is also seeing another therapist without disclosing it.
What is the most ethically appropriate first step?