The Counselor and the Law: A Guide to Legal and Ethical Practice

This eighth edition provides a current and comprehensive discussion of counselors' legal and ethical responsibilities, an examination of state and federal laws as they relate to practice, and helpful risk management strategies. Attorney Nancy Wheeler and Burt Bertram, a private practitioner and counselor educator, offer real-world practical tips to help navigate professional risks while providing competent clinical care. New or updated topics include matters surrounding informed consent, current case law on duty to warn/protect and issues surrounding suicide in college/university settings, electronic records and ransomware concerns, and updates on state licensure board data regarding boundary violations. The authors' legal and ethical decision-making model will assist counselors and students with processing their own legal and ethical dilemmas, and the ACA Code of Ethics is included as a handy reference.

Anne Marie “Nancy” Wheeler, JD, is an attorney licensed in Maryland and the District of Columbia who has extensive experience with counselors and the broader field of mental health. For more than 30 years, she managed the Risk Management Helpline sponsored by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its sponsored professional liability insurance program. For more than 30 years, Nancy also worked with psychiatrists, facilities, and physician associations. This background provided her a unique window of understanding of the multifaceted issues that often confront practicing counselors. She has also served as an affiliate faculty member of the Graduate Pastoral Counseling Program of Loyola University Maryland and in the Department of Counselor Education at Stetson University in Florida.

Burt Bertram, EdD, is a Florida-based Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). He has been in private practice in the Orlando area for more than 35 years. He practices from an interpersonal perspective: His professional counseling is primarily focused on the resolution of sensitive and complex relationship issues in every aspect of life—personal, workplace, and community. In addition to his private practice, Dr. Bertram provides personal development, coaching, and counseling to practicing physicians associated with the Florida Hospital System in Orlando. He is also an adjunct faculty member in the Graduate Studies in Counseling Program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he has taught ethics as well as practicum; internship; and family, couples, and group counseling.