Risk Management in the Behavioral Health Professions is a comprehensive handbook for mental health and social service providers on prevention of malpractice lawsuits and licensing-board complaints. Frederic G. Reamer draws on his extensive firsthand experience as an expert witness in litigation and licensing-board cases throughout the United States to give readers an insider's view of practical risk-management strategies. He provides in-depth discussion of common risk areas and steps practitioners can take to protect clients and themselves. Key topics include confidentiality and privileged communication; service delivery, including informed consent, assessment, boundary issues, suicide risk management, and use of technology; impaired practitioners; supervision and consultation; documentation; deception and fraud; and interruption and termination of services. Reamer offers pragmatic advice about how to respond to a lawsuit or licensing-board complaint. He emphasizes the challenges and risks related to remote service provision, especially during public health crises and pandemics. The book includes sample risk-management forms and templates as well as extensive case examples that illustrate fundamental risk-management concepts. Designed for behavioral health professionals including social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, and substance use disorder treatment counselors, this book is an indispensable resource on how to navigate challenging ethics and risk-management issues.

Social work rests on complex philosophical assumptions that should be central to practice, education, and training. In this book, Frederic G. Reamer explores how these issues bear on the purpose, methods, and perspectives of social work and their far-reaching implications for practice and scholarship. Reamer examines major themes across the domains of moral and political philosophy, logic, epistemology, and aesthetics. He raises questions such as: How can ethical theories inform social workers' moral judgments? In what ways are canons of inductive and deductive logic relevant to social workers' thinking about their work? To what extent can scientific inquiry help social workers understand the nature and effect of their interventions? How can concepts related to aesthetics shed light on the nature of social work? Reamer's nuanced inquiry never loses sight of the concrete applications of philosophy to social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, or to broader goals of social change. This second edition of The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work is revised and updated throughout to address contemporary challenges. It focuses especially on newer thinking about the role of non-Western philosophical perspectives and the relevance of philosophy to social workers' commitments to multiculturalism, feminism, and antiracism.

Risk Management in the Behavioral Health Professions is a comprehensive handbook for mental health and social service providers on prevention of malpractice lawsuits and licensing-board complaints. Frederic G. Reamer draws on his extensive firsthand experience as an expert witness in litigation and licensing-board cases throughout the United States to give readers an insider's view of practical risk-management strategies. He provides in-depth discussion of common risk areas and steps practitioners can take to protect clients and themselves. Key topics include confidentiality and privileged communication; service delivery, including informed consent, assessment, boundary issues, suicide risk management, and use of technology; impaired practitioners; supervision and consultation; documentation; deception and fraud; and interruption and termination of services. Reamer offers pragmatic advice about how to respond to a lawsuit or licensing-board complaint. He emphasizes the challenges and risks related to remote service provision, especially during public health crises and pandemics. The book includes sample risk-management forms and templates as well as extensive case examples that illustrate fundamental risk-management concepts. Designed for behavioral health professionals including social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, and substance use disorder treatment counselors, this book is an indispensable resource on how to navigate challenging ethics and risk-management issues.

Should a therapist disclose personal information to a client, accept a client’s gift, or provide a former client with a job? Is it appropriate to exchange e-mail or text messages with clients or correspond with them on social networking websites? Some acts, such as initiating a sexual relationship with a client, are clearly prohibited, yet what about more subtle interactions, such as hugging or accepting invitations to a social event? Is maintaining a friendship with a former client or a client’s relative a conflict of interest? Frederic G. Reamer offers a frank analysis of a range of boundary issues that human-service practitioners may confront. He confronts the ethics of intimate relationships with clients and former clients, the healthy parameters of practitioners’ self-disclosure, the giving and receiving of gifts and favors, and the unavoidable and unanticipated circumstances of social encounters and geographical proximity. With case studies addressing challenges in the mental health field, school contexts, child welfare, addiction programs, home health care, elder services, and prison, rural, and military settings, Reamer offers effective, practical risk-management models that prevent problems and help balance dual relationships. Since the publication of the previous edition of Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services in 2012, digital technology has transformed how human-service professionals deliver services to clients. This third edition brings the book up to date, adding discussion of the ways in which practitioners’ online communications and technology-based relationships with clients can violate ethical standards and providing practical advice for how to resolve boundary issues.

For decades, teachers and practitioners have turned to Frederic G. Reamer's Social Work Values and Ethics as the leading introduction to ethical decision making, dilemmas, and professional conduct in practice. A case-driven, concise, and comprehensive textbook for undergraduate and graduate social work programs, this book surveys the most critical issues for social work practitioners. The fifth edition incorporates significant updates to the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and new practice and model regulatory standards used by social service and licensing agencies around the world. Reamer also focuses on how social workers should navigate the digital world through discussion of the ethical issues that arise from practitioner use of online services and social networking sites to deliver services, communicate with clients, and provide information to the public, and what standards will protect confidential information transmitted electronically. He highlights potential conflicts between professional ethics and legal guidelines and expands discussions of informed consent, confidentiality and privileged communication, boundaries and dual relationships, documentation, conflicts of interest, and risk management. Conceptually rich and attuned to the complexities of ethical decision making, Social Work Values and Ethics is unique in striking the right balance among history, theory, and practical application.

Should a therapist disclose personal information to a client, accept a client’s gift, or provide a former client with a job? Is it appropriate to exchange e-mail or text messages with clients or correspond with them on social networking websites? Some acts, such as initiating a sexual relationship with a client, are clearly prohibited, yet what about more subtle interactions, such as hugging or accepting invitations to a social event? Is maintaining a friendship with a former client or a client’s relative a conflict of interest? Frederic G. Reamer offers a frank analysis of a range of boundary issues that human-service practitioners may confront. He confronts the ethics of intimate relationships with clients and former clients, the healthy parameters of practitioners’ self-disclosure, the giving and receiving of gifts and favors, and the unavoidable and unanticipated circumstances of social encounters and geographical proximity. With case studies addressing challenges in the mental health field, school contexts, child welfare, addiction programs, home health care, elder services, and prison, rural, and military settings, Reamer offers effective, practical risk-management models that prevent problems and help balance dual relationships. Since the publication of the previous edition of Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services in 2012, digital technology has transformed how human-service professionals deliver services to clients. This third edition brings the book up to date, adding discussion of the ways in which practitioners’ online communications and technology-based relationships with clients can violate ethical standards and providing practical advice for how to resolve boundary issues.

Social work rests on complex philosophical assumptions that should be central to practice, education, and training. In this book, Frederic G. Reamer explores how these issues bear on the purpose, methods, and perspectives of social work and their far-reaching implications for practice and scholarship. Reamer examines major themes across the domains of moral and political philosophy, logic, epistemology, and aesthetics. He raises questions such as: How can ethical theories inform social workers' moral judgments? In what ways are canons of inductive and deductive logic relevant to social workers' thinking about their work? To what extent can scientific inquiry help social workers understand the nature and effect of their interventions? How can concepts related to aesthetics shed light on the nature of social work? Reamer's nuanced inquiry never loses sight of the concrete applications of philosophy to social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, or to broader goals of social change. This second edition of The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work is revised and updated throughout to address contemporary challenges. It focuses especially on newer thinking about the role of non-Western philosophical perspectives and the relevance of philosophy to social workers' commitments to multiculturalism, feminism, and antiracism.

Should a therapist disclose personal information to a client, accept a client's gift, or provide a former client with a job? Is it appropriate to exchange email or text messages with clients or correspond with them on social networking websites? Some acts, such as initiating a sexual relationship with a client, are clearly prohibited, yet what about more subtle interactions, such as hugging or accepting invitations to a social event? Is maintaining a friendship with a former client or client's relative a conflict of interest that ultimately subverts the client-practitioner relationship?

Frederic G. Reamer, a certified authority on professional ethics, offers a frank analysis of a range of boundary issues and their complex formulations. He confronts the ethics of intimate and sexual relationships with clients and former clients, the healthy parameters of practitioners' self-disclosure, electronic relationships with clients, the giving and receiving of gifts and favors, the bartering of services, and the unavoidable and unanticipated circumstances of social encounters and geographical proximity. With case studies addressing challenges in the mental health field, school contexts, child welfare, addiction programs, home-healthcare, elder services, and prison, rural, and military settings, Reamer offers effective, practical risk-management models that prevent problems and help balance dual relationships.

Few people experience life inside of prison. Even fewer are charged with the formidable responsibility of deciding whether inmates should be released. In his twenty-four years on the Rhode Island Parole Board, Frederic G. Reamer has judged the fates of thousands of inmates, deciding which are ready to reenter society and which are not. It is a complicated choice that balances injury to victims and their families against an offender's capacity for transformation. With rich retellings of criminal cases-some banal, some brutal-On the Parole Board is a singular book that explains from an insider's perspective how a variety of factors play into the board's decisions: the ongoing effect on victims and their loved ones, the life histories of offenders, the circumstances of the crimes, and the powerful and often extraordinary displays of forgiveness and remorse. Pulling back the curtain on a process largely shrouded in mystery, Reamer lays bare the thorny philosophical issues of crime and justice and their staggering consequences for inmates, victims, and the public at large. Reamer and his colleagues often hope, despite encountering behavior at its worst, that criminals who have made horrible mistakes have the capacity for redemption. Yet that hope must be tempered with a realistic appraisal of risk, given the potentially grave consequences of releasing an inmate who may commit a future crime. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the complexities of the criminal justice system, the need to correct its injustices, and the challenges of those who must decide when justice has been served.

Few people experience life inside of prison. Even fewer are charged with the formidable responsibility of deciding whether inmates should be released. In his twenty-four years on the Rhode Island Parole Board, Frederic G. Reamer has judged the fates of thousands of inmates, deciding which are ready to reenter society and which are not. It is a complicated choice that balances injury to victims and their families against an offender's capacity for transformation. With rich retellings of criminal cases-some banal, some brutal-On the Parole Board is a singular book that explains from an insider's perspective how a variety of factors play into the board's decisions: the ongoing effect on victims and their loved ones, the life histories of offenders, the circumstances of the crimes, and the powerful and often extraordinary displays of forgiveness and remorse. Pulling back the curtain on a process largely shrouded in mystery, Reamer lays bare the thorny philosophical issues of crime and justice and their staggering consequences for inmates, victims, and the public at large. Reamer and his colleagues often hope, despite encountering behavior at its worst, that criminals who have made horrible mistakes have the capacity for redemption. Yet that hope must be tempered with a realistic appraisal of risk, given the potentially grave consequences of releasing an inmate who may commit a future crime. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the complexities of the criminal justice system, the need to correct its injustices, and the challenges of those who must decide when justice has been served.

This all new edition is based on Frederic G. Reamer's key reference for practitioners: "Social Work Malpractice and Liability: Strategies for Prevention." Rooted in his own experiences as an expert witness in court and licensing board cases, the volume introduces the concepts of negligence, malpractice, and liability before turning to the subject of risk management. Drawing and reflecting on recent cases and research, Reamer details a variety of problems in the social work field relating to privacy and confidentiality, improper treatment and delivery of services, impaired practitioners, supervision, consultation and referral, fraud and deception, and termination of service. He also explores the unprecedented confidentiality challenges created by new digital technologies, such as online counseling, video counseling, and practitioners' use of social networks, and describes current issues relating to HIPAA compliance and access to electronic health records (EHR) and health information exchanges (HIE). Reamer concludes with practical suggestions for social workers named as defendants in lawsuits and respondents in licensing board complaints.

Why do people commit crimes? How can crime be prevented? And what can society and criminal justice professionals do to implement constructive responses to criminal behavior? Summarizing what he has learned about crime and criminals during his long career, one of social work's most distinguished theoreticians speculates about the factors that lead to crime and considers what we can do to prevent and respond to it meaningfully. "Criminal Lessons" is based on more than thirteen thousand cases in which Frederic G. Reamer has been involved as a parole board member, a role that was supplemented by his earlier experiences working in a federal correctional facility, a state penitentiary, and a forensic unit in a state psychiatric hospital.

Reamer presents an original and compelling typology of crime that classifies offenders on the basis of the circumstances that led to their offenses. He isolates seven categories, tracing crime to desperation, greed, rage, revenge, frolic, addiction, or mental illness. Using actual case studies to illustrate these patterns of 'criminal circumstances, ' Reamer presents a model for the prevention of, and response to, crime and throughout the book offers recommendations related to social services, criminal justice, and public policy.

Long regarded as the standard text for classroom use and an invaluable reference for agency administrators, social work supervisors, line clinicians, and private practitioners, "Social Work Malpractice and Liability" has now been updated to include new material on the revised NASW Code of Ethics, recent court decisions related to social work malpractice and liability, boundary issues and dual relationships, and how social workers can conduct an "ethics audit" in the workplace.

After introducing the concepts of negligence, malpractice, and liability, Frederic Reamer turns to the subject of risk management. Using recent cases, he describes a wide variety of problems related to privacy and confidentiality, improper treatment and delivery of services, impaired practitioners, supervision, consultation and referral, fraud and deception, and termination of service, concluding with practical suggestions for social workers named as defendants in lawsuits.

Should a therapist counsel a former lover or accept a client's gift? If so, has a boundary been crossed? Some boundary issues, like beginning a sexual relationship with a client, are obvious pitfalls to avoid, but what about more subtle issues, like hugging a client or disclosing personal information to a client? What are the boundaries of maintaining a friendship with a former client or the relative of a client? When do conflicts of interest overburden the client-practitioner relationship?

Frederic Reamer, a leading authority on professional ethics, offers a definitive and up-to-date analysis of boundary issues, a rapidly emerging topic in the field of human services. One of the only works in the field to provide a conceptual framework for the dual relationship between practitioner and client, this book provides an in-depth look at the complex forms these relationships take. It also gives practical risk-management models to aid human service professionals in the prevention of problematic situations and the managing of dual relationships. Reamer examines the ethics involving intimate and sexual relationships with clients and former clients, practitioners' self-disclosure, giving and receiving favors and gifts, bartering for services, and unavoidable and unanticipated circumstances such as social encounters and geographical proximity. Case vignettes that help illustrate important points are also included in each chapter.

Through provocative case studies, "Ethical Dilemmas in Social Service" introduces social work professionals to a wide range of complex and controversial concerns in ethical theory and practice.

Reamer illuminates the ethical concerns involved in working with individuals and families and the design and implementation of social welfare programs and policies.

This new edition includes a guide to ethical decisions and a discussion of recent legal precedents regarding confidentiality. Also new are an investigation of the use of peer ethics committees and an examination of the particular ethical concerns of social workers in private practice.

In recent years a dizzying array of programs has emerged to meet the needs of struggling teens and their families-wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, alternative schools, mentoring and court diversion programs, independent living programs, and myriad day treatment and partial hospitalization services. Yet not all of these offerings employ mental health professionals or follow evidence-based treatment protocols. Some programs are licensed and accredited, but many are not, and some use techniques that are highly controversial, even abusive, resulting in injury and accidental death.

Frederic G. Reamer and Deborah H. Siegel have written the first scholarly book on this influential and controversial industry. They begin with a time line of Americans' changing attitudes toward challenging teens and the programs and schools established to handle this population. Then they summarize reputable organizations, including a selection of community-based and residential programs and schools, and provide brief descriptions of typical services. The authors candidly discuss a number of troubling scandals and tragedies, exposing the tragic consequences of emotionally and physically abusive practices, and recommend a range of empirically sound interventions for the clinical challenges of adolescent depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, oppositional behavior, eating disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The authors conclude with a blueprint for reform and twenty "best practice" principles relating to harm prevention, program-based discipline, industry regulation, quality assurance, parental involvement, staff education, and after-care services.

Should a physician with AIDS be required to inform his or her patients? Does a physician have an obligation to warn the partner who wants this fact kept secret? Should all newborns and pregnant women be screened for HIV? Should insurance companies be required to insure patients who test positive for the disease? Professionals and society at large are confronted by a wide range of complex ethical issues produced by the AIDS health crisis.

"AIDS and Ethics" is the first major collection of essays on the complex ethical issues created by the AIDS crisis. The nation's leading bioethics experts from the fields of law, medicine, philosophy, political science, religion, and social work present original and accessible essays. They address current controversial issues related to the tension between civil rights and public health, mandatory HIV testing, human subjects research, health care insurance, AIDS education, militant AIDS activism, the physician-patient relationship, issues of privacy, and legal issues. This important book will provide philosophical and practical guidelines to health care and human service professionals, policy makers, scholars, and others affected by the AIDS crisis.

This is "the" leading introduction to professional values and ethics in social work. Frederic G. Reamer provides social workers with a succinct and comprehensive overview of the most critical issues relating to professional values and ethics, including the nature of social work values, ethical dilemmas, and professional misconduct. Conceptually rich and attuned to the complexities of ethical decision making, "Social Work Values and Ethics" is unique in striking the right balance between history, theory, and practical application.

For the third edition, Reamer has updated the content and strengthened the relevance of the case material. Also new to the third edition:

o Discussion of the moral dialogue between practitioner and client
o Coverage of virtue ethics
o Practical discussion of concepts underlying social work ethics
o Expanded application of the National Association of Social Workers Code of
Ethics to ethical dilemmas in the profession
o A look at the historical evolution of ethical standards in social work
o New vignettes, illustrating difficult ethical decisions
o More guidance on informed consent and termination of services
o Discussion questions at the end of each chapter
o A section on how to conduct a social work ethics audit

What circumstances lead someone to commit murder, rape, or acts of child molestation? Why does society have such a deep-seated wish for vengeance against perpetrators of heinous crimes? Can those found guilty of such crimes ever be rehabilitated? What are the long-term consequences of incarceration, for inmates and society?

Officials of the criminal justice system, politicians, and ordinary citizens argue about possible answers to these controversial and vital questions, with little agreement. Violent crime and overflowing prisons continue to be unfortunate aspects of our society as the criminal justice system struggles to develop a coherent strategy to deal with heinous crimes.

This book offers innovative perspectives on the difficult issues concerning a civilized society's response to offenders guilty of heinous crimes. It considers specific cases and the chilling accounts of victims and the criminals themselves. In providing detailed strategies for prevention and rehabilitation, Frederic G. Reamer draws on his extensive experience as a member of the Rhode Island Parole Board, where he has heard more than 13,000 cases, and as a social worker in correctional facilities. He examines the psychological and social factors that lead individuals to commit reprehensible crimes, arguing that a fuller understanding of different criminal types is crucial to developing successful answers to the problem of heinous crimes. Closely looking at various criminal typologies, Reamer examines the effectiveness and rationale of various responses, including revenge and retribution, imprisonment for public safety, rehabilitation, and restorative justice.

This is "the" leading introduction to professional values and ethics in social work. Frederic G. Reamer provides social workers with a succinct and comprehensive overview of the most critical issues relating to professional values and ethics, including the nature of social work values, ethical dilemmas, and professional misconduct. Conceptually rich and attuned to the complexities of ethical decision making, "Social Work Values and Ethics" is unique in striking the right balance between history, theory, and practical application.

For the third edition, Reamer has updated the content and strengthened the relevance of the case material. Also new to the third edition:

o Discussion of the moral dialogue between practitioner and client
o Coverage of virtue ethics
o Practical discussion of concepts underlying social work ethics
o Expanded application of the National Association of Social Workers Code of
Ethics to ethical dilemmas in the profession
o A look at the historical evolution of ethical standards in social work
o New vignettes, illustrating difficult ethical decisions
o More guidance on informed consent and termination of services
o Discussion questions at the end of each chapter
o A section on how to conduct a social work ethics audit

Why do people commit crimes? How can crime be prevented? And what can society and criminal justice professionals do to implement constructive responses to criminal behavior? Summarizing what he has learned about crime and criminals during his long career, one of social work's most distinguished theoreticians speculates about the factors that lead to crime and considers what we can do to prevent and respond to it meaningfully. "Criminal Lessons" is based on more than thirteen thousand cases in which Frederic G. Reamer has been involved as a parole board member, a role that was supplemented by his earlier experiences working in a federal correctional facility, a state penitentiary, and a forensic unit in a state psychiatric hospital.

Reamer presents an original and compelling typology of crime that classifies offenders on the basis of the circumstances that led to their offenses. He isolates seven categories, tracing crime to desperation, greed, rage, revenge, frolic, addiction, or mental illness. Using actual case studies to illustrate these patterns of 'criminal circumstances, ' Reamer presents a model for the prevention of, and response to, crime and throughout the book offers recommendations related to social services, criminal justice, and public policy.

Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Behavioral Health identifies pertinent ethical challenges and ethically related risk-management issues that practitioners should consider when using digital technology to assist clients in need. The text illuminates how the use of technology is influenced by traditional ethics concepts, including informed consent, boundaries, conflicts of interest, electronic records, collegial relationships, and other issues. The text begins by discussing how practitioners today are leveraging technology to provide services to clients and the importance of continually considering the ethical issues involved in using such communication methods. It addresses the specific ethical issues involved in online counseling, telephone counseling, self-guided web-based interventions, smartphone apps, electronic social networks, and other forms of digital communication. Ethical, regulatory, and practice standards are covered, as well as challenges in integrated health and behavioral health educational settings. The final chapter is dedicated to preventing and managing ethical and legal risk. Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Behavioral Health is an ideal textbook for use by students and practitioners in the counseling professions, including clinical social work, clinical psychology, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, and substance use disorders counseling.

Timely and essential, Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Social Work identifies pertinent ethical challenges and ethically related risk-management issues that social workers should consider when using digital technology to assist people in need. The text illuminates how the use of technology is influenced by traditional ethics concepts, including consent, privacy, confidentiality, professional boundaries, documentation, and other issues. The text begins by discussing how social workers today are leveraging technology to provide services to clients and the importance of continually considering the ethical issues involved in using such communication methods. It addresses the specific ethical issues involved in video counseling, cybertherapy, text messaging, self-guided web-based interventions, smartphone apps, and other forms of digital communication. Ethical, regulatory, and practice standards are covered, as well as challenges in integrated health and social work educational settings. The final chapter is dedicated to preventing and managing ethical and legal risk. Ethics and Risk Management in Online and Distance Social Work is an ideal textbook for advanced courses in social work. It is also an excellent resource for social workers interested in incorporating online or distance communication in their practice.