Ethics and Professional Issues in Couple and Family Therapy

Megan J. Murphy, PhD, LMFT, is an associate professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and was a coeditor of Families Across Time: A Life Course Perspective (Oxford University Press, 2000). Lorna Hecker, PhD, LMFT, is a professor and director of the Couple and Family Therapy Center at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana. She is Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security expertise in HIPAA and HITECH regulations. She edited the first edition of Ethics and Professional Issues in Couple and Family Therapy, and her previous publications include The Therapist’s Notebook: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Use in Psychotherapy (Volumes 1, 2, and 3), The Therapist’s Notebook for Children and Adolescents, and An Introduction to Marriage and Family Therapy (Routledge). She also authored the book HIPAA Demystified: HIPAA Compliance for Mental Health Professionals (Loger Press).

“The 2nd edition of the Murphy and Hecker book is excellently written with illustrative case vignettes and is even more comprehensive than the original version. The additional chapters about HIPPA and HITECH, home-based therapy, and professional private practice issues make the book a must for all C/MFT training programs and private practitioners.”—Volker Thomas, PhD, LMFT, professor of couple and family therapy, University of Iowa (retired)“Ethics and Professional Issues in Couple and Family Therapy is full of preventive care and interventions for the couple and family therapists in clinical practice. The distinguished editors and contributors provide pages of practical suggestions and recommendations to maintain best practices. The authors took great care to untangle complex ethical, legal, and technical issues, which makes the book an easy, but informative read for experienced clinicians and CFT students. The culturally diverse case examples illustrate how therapists can avoid common pitfalls inherent in clinical practice and the importance of self-care. This book should be a required reading for students in CFT programs!”—Stephanie Brooks, PhD, LCSW, LMFT, chair, Couple and Family Therapy Department; associate dean, Graduate Health Professions, Drexel University“This is an indispensable resource on ethical issues in the practice of couple and family therapy. The second edition includes a comprehensive review of new HIPPA and HITECH regulations, and the latest AAMFT code of ethics. Clear and concrete examples are used to drive home major points. I highly recommend this book to any couple and family therapy student, instructor, or licensed provider.”—Andrea K. Wittenborn, PhD, graduate director, associate professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University

• PrefaceLorna Hecker and Megan J. Murphy 1. Introduction Lorna Hecker and Megan J. Murphy 2. Ethical Decision Making from a Relational Perspective Elisabeth Shaw 3. Legal Issues in Couple and Family Therapy Ruth Ogden Halstead and John H. Halstead 4. The Impact of HIPAA and HITECH Regulations on the Couple and Family Therapist Lorna Hecker, Courtney L. Miner, and Megan J. Murphy 5. Self of the Therapist: Being Aware, Prepared, and Ethical Jared A. Durtschi and Melanie McClellan 6. Power, Privilege, and Ethics in Couple and Family Therapy Megan J. Murphy and Lorna Hecker 7. Sexuality, Boundaries, and Ethics Teresa L. Young and René A. Jones 8. Risk Management in Practice Amber Sampson 9. Spirituality and Religion Rebecca A. Cobb, Jacob B. Priest, and Taimyr B. Strachan 10. Ethics in Therapy with Children in Families Lorna Hecker and Catherine Ford Sori 11. Ethics, Legal, and Professional Issues in Mediation and Parent Coordination Julia M. Bernard, Nicole Manick, and Maike Klein 12. Ethical Issues in Clinical Practice Appendix 12.1 Z. Seda Sahin and Julie Ramisch 13. Ethical Issues with Systemic and Social Constructionist Family Therapies Joseph L. Wetchler and Rachel M. Moore 14. Ethical Couple and Family E-Therapy Markie L. C. Twist and Katherine M. Hertlein 15. Ethical and Clinical Considerations for Home-Based Family Therapy Kiran M. Hussain, M. Evan Thomas,Shannon Polezoes, and Léa El Helou 16. Ethics of Professionalism Megan J. Murphy and Amber Sampson