Standards of Care and Ethical Practice for Trauma-focused Practitioners

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Description: 
Most mental health practitioners would say that they know how to help people who have experienced trauma; however, fewer develop and maintain proficiencies specific to treating trauma-related diagnoses. This can result in provision of psychotherapy that does not meet the standard of care and delays recovery. Ethical principles within the codes issued by the American Psychological Association and Catholic Psychotherapy Association call for better than this, as do other components of the standard of care.

Participants will be invited to assess their own levels of competency, proficiency, and proximity to specialization in the treatment of trauma-related symptoms and diagnoses.

Category of Education: D1.2 Legal/Ethics/Regulatory

Intended Audience: 

• Students
• Psychologists
• Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors
• Clergy/Religious
• Medical professionals, M.D., P.A., Nurses

Content Learning Level: Intermediate 

Learning Objectives:

1. Define and describe the terms fidelity, competency, and proficiency as they relate to the treatment of trauma-related symptoms and diagnoses.
2. Explain the difference between a proficiency and a practice specialty
3. Name the essential standards of care informing the treatment of PTSD, complex PTSD, complex trauma and dissociative disorders

Schedule:

• Introduction (5 mins)
• Self-assessment (5 mins)
• Foundational concepts and elements of the standard of care (25 mins)
• Building competency & proficiency toward specialized practice (25 mins)
• Case vignettes (20 mins)
• Q&A (10 mins)

The Catholic Psychotherapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Catholic Psychotherapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.