On-Demand: The Business Side of Therapy: Maintaining Ethical & Legal Standards while Growing Your Practice - 6 CEUs

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• CE Hours Included: 6 Ethics, Core, or Related (please see below for more details).
• Format: On-Demand Webinar ("Asynchronous") ~ At your leisure to be viewed at your own pace. You may pause, rewind, and fast forward at any point during the videos. You are in complete control of how you view this workshop. However, you are required to watch at least 90% of the videos to receive CEs. The PowerPoint handout will be displayed in the video along with the presenter, and there is also a separate document for printing as well as multiple other handouts and forms. There is a quiz at the end to ensure comprehension and is required by all CE approval organizations for On-Demand workshops.
• Investment: $140 (provides lifetime access!)
  • To pay with PayPal, ACH transfer, or CashApp, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 404-913-2005. Otherwise, click below on "Enroll Now!"
• Presented by: Becky Beaton-York, Ph.D. & Chris J. York, Attorney at Law
  
• Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, Psychotherapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
• Instruction Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

In this workshop, you will learn how to:

• Identify how to incorporate artificial intelligence into your practice in an ethical way.
• Describe how Social Media and Search-Engine Optimization can play an essential part in practice-building and how to thwart the ethical pitfalls.
• Discuss business licensing laws, HIPAA requirements, and whether or not it makes sense to become an S-Corp or an LLC/PLLC (or our personal favorite . . . an LLC/PLLC taxed as an S-Corp.
• Review the new rule under the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regarding W2 vs. 1099 contractors and how it may impact hiring someone as a 1099 contractor vs. a W2 employee.
• Describe how to save a significant amount of money on taxes by employing yourself with a W2 and also not running afoul of the IRS.
• Demonstrate ethically and legally sound ways to hospitalize or implement a crisis response plan in person as well as via TeleMental Health.
• Explain the essentials of clinical documentation: What needs to be in a client record; how long client records should be retained; questions to ask regarding an electronic health records (EHR) platform (particularly now with companies letting artificial intelligence classify data); who has access to records; who owns the records, and the difference between psychotherapy notes and the medical record.
• Discuss the frequently overlooked ingredients needed in an Informed Consent to Treatment that will help you maintain an ethical practice and prevent future malpractice claims.
• Demonstrate financial reimbursement and ethical pitfalls concerning fee-setting, what is considered “reasonable and customary,” what lawyers term “undue influence,” bartering, kickbacks, etc.
• Apply all the above to develop the framework for your ideal ethically and legally sound practice.

Workshop Description:

This workshop will address the legal and ethical essentials of being in any kind of outpatient practice (solo or group practice). We know that marketing is essential, but now artificial intelligence has become critical if you want to keep up with search engine optimization (SEO) and be found on Google. Also, social media, self-disclosure, and dual roles can muddy the waters of a clean therapeutic relationship. And asking for testimonials is still not ethical despite seeing them on your competitors’ websites. Additionally, being competent in telemental health and emergency procedures is essential. Do you know what you need to know regarding involuntary commitment when services are only through telemental health or what you need to know to practice across state lines, which seems to change from month to month? All of these solid, much-needed skills will be addressed, along with ethical fee setting (e.g., the ethical and legal issues regarding charging clients differing fees), and protective documentation strategies beginning with your intake through a mindful termination summary.

Presented by: Becky Beaton-York, Ph.D.

Dr. Beaton-York has provided behavioral health services since 1991, and she has a true passion for ethics. She's been on the Georgia Psychological Association's Ethics Committee since 2010 and their Ethics Chair for eight of those years. She was also the Ethics Chair for the Licensed Professional Counselor’s Association of Georgia (LPCA-GA) from 1999-2001. Early in her career, Dr. Beaton-York taught at Georgia State University and has been adjunct faculty for Emory's Department of Psychology since 2016, primarily providing ethics training for their faculty. She has also served as an ethics expert on several malpractice cases.

Dr. Beaton-York founded a large anxiety and OCD practice in Atlanta that she ran from 2004-2019 until she sold it. Many of her ethics examples come from these 15 years of managing up to 40 clinicians and answering ethical dilemmas nearly daily. She has also coached numerous group practice owners since 2010. Literally, she has taught tens of thousands of therapists how to manage ethical issues in one form or another for the past 25 years. In other words, navigating ethical dilemmas is Becky's jam. :-) Since she loves ethics, teaching, and mentoring, this inspired her to start The Knowledge Tree. Furthermore, Dr. Beaton-York was voted Counselor Educator of the Year by LPCA-GA in 2005 and received their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Lastly, you may have seen "Dr. Becky" on one of the 60 episodes that she filmed as the featured psychologist on TLC's "Hoarding: Buried Alive." She has also made appearances on The Anderson Cooper Show, Good Morning America, CNN Headline News, and other media.

Chris J. York, Esq.

Mr. York attended Bowdoin College in Maine for undergrad and is a 1991 graduate of Emory University Law School. As an Atlanta-based litigator, early in his career he tried numerous medical malpractice jury trials on behalf of defendant physicians. Later, he focused more on product liability, business, and corporate practice. He was Georgia counsel to a national seat belt and airbag supplier and later served as Senior VP and General Counsel to an Atlanta medical device company. In 2003, he formed his own firm which he still runs. His law partner, Chip Gaskill, is a Vanderbilt Law School graduate who specializes in corporate matters in addition to family law, trusts, and estates. Their firm is York Gaskill, LLC. Today, Mr. York primarily specializes in helping small businesses, with several of his clients being therapy practice owners.

What people are saying about this workshop:

• “They were wonderful! The touches throughout were very thoughtful and engaging – which was lovely since this was a lengthy workshop. I enjoyed the moments of laughter during the workshop, too. It definitely felt like a workshop I was meant to be in, and I am glad I attended.” - AG, LMFT
• "I wish I had this workshop BEFORE I went into private practice. It was chock full of critical information. Worth every penny!" - EW, Ph.D.
• "It was really nice having a lawyer present. Chris was generous with his time, answering so many questions when he wasn't speaking. What a valuable perk!" - MD, LCSW
• "I previously loved Becky's ethics workshops, but adding Chris has made this workshop the best of the best!" - WD, Ph.D.
• "They are so fun together, bouncing questions off of one another. I learned so much and was also thoroughly entertained." - KM, LPC

6 Ethics, Core, or Related “Asynchronous” CE Clock Hours Included - Details by License Type Below:

• PSYCHOLOGISTS: The Knowledge Tree (TKT) is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. TKT maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more detailed information on the current CE ruling in Georgia, or if you are licensed in another state or country, please click here.
• COUNSELORS: The Knowledge Tree has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP), ACEP No. 7153. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Knowledge Tree is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. For more detailed information regarding CE approvals, please click here.

• SOCIAL WORKERS: This workshop is approved for 6 Core CE hours through the Georgia Society for Clinical Social Work (GSCSW), approval #020224. If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.
• MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS: Many states will accept APA and/or NBCC approved continuing education hours for Marriage & Family Therapists, but please check your specific state’s rules & regulations. For Georgia specific information regarding MFT approval, please go to our CE Information page, by clicking here and scroll down to the map of Georgia.

To view our various workshop policies, including our multi-workshop discount & refund policy, please click here.

We are an approved vendor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for easy reimbursement of educational expenses for VA employees.